Playing the Negadecimal Game Author(s): KEITH DEVLIN Source: Math Horizons, Vol. 2, No. 3 (February 1995), pp.

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KEITH DEVLIN

Playing Negadecimal
The

the Game
(1x 1)+ (0x 2)+ (1x 4) + (1x 32) +(0 x 8)+ (0x 16)

most familiar number sys tem to us is, of course, the dec imal system. This makes use of the ten digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 to represent numbers, and in our arithmetic we require a units col umn, a tens column, a hundreds col
umn, and so on.

= +(1 x 64) + (1 x 128) 229.

of the bi Computers make are nary system, where there just two where

use

Consequently, all modern computers have built-in routines which auto matically convert numbers from dec imal form to binary and back again, to com allowing human operators

16 x 16 x 16.) In practice, program mers usually need to make use only of hexadecimal numbers involving two hex digits. This is because the bits that make up a computer word are grouped into bytes, collections of eight consecutive bits. Two hex digits

all thebits inone completelyspecify

binarydigits (or bits) 0 and 1, and

arithmetic requires a units column, a twos column, a fours col umn, an eights column, and so on. In decimal

in every municate with themachine form. decimal day But sometimes it is necessary for the programmer to handle the num in the form (i.e., are stored in the that they binary) can easier made This be memory. hexadeci the so-called by utilizing bers in themachine

byte. So far, I have only been talking about positive whole numbers. Frac a

tions can be handled by specifying

arithmetic we must "carry" a multiple of 10 occurs in a in binary whenever column, any occurs. of 2 multiple Mankind makes use of decimal have ten notation because people use computers binary nota fingers; tion because a computer is, at heart, a two-state machine, the current in a circuit being either on or off. The main problem with the bi nary system as far as humans are whenever concerned is that it takes impossibly to denote even mod long "words" erately large numbers. For instance, the number 229 expressed in binary

decimal/binary/hexadecimal point. There are various ways of doing this, but that is another story. What I want to look at now is how negative num bers are handled. The most common

method used in computers is for one mal system, that is the number sys bit of each computer word to be re tem with base 16. served to denote the sign of the num has the effect of replac This ber (say with a 0 denoting a positive ing four columns of binary by just one column of hexadecimal number, a 1 a negative number). (because 16 is the size of the fifth column Calculator displays usually work in binary, starting from the right). like this, except that on the dis In other words, every hexadecimal play a minus sign appears at the the left-hand instead of a location programmer by digit specified determines four binary digits in the and 1, nothing appears when the are fifteen hex number is positive. The computer. There computer adecimal (or "hex") digits: hardware is then constructed to keep 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F. track of the signs of numbers dur ing arithmetic operations. But other have been

notation

is 11100101. the right, i.e., from number is:

Starting from the units, this

methods

num For example, the hexadecimal ber 1BF5 represents the number: KEITH DEVLIN, the editor of FOCUS, is Dean of the School of Science at Saint Mary's College of California and is the Math author of the just released All the Print. That's Fit to

(5xl) + (15 x 16) +(11 x 256)+ (1 x 4096)

i.e., 7157 in decimal notation. (Be cause 256 = 16 x 16 and 4096 =

considered. used one of has who Anyone those mechanical calculating ma to fill offices 20 chines that used one of years ago will appreciate these methods. On those ancient ma in decimal (which worked 1from if subtracted arithmetic), you en an the machine would 0, display tire row of 9s. This is because, as far chines

1995 16 MathHorizons February

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the left-hand end, leaving zero; i.e., = 0. a com (?1) + 1 Similarly, in row a of Is could be puter, complete to represent ?1. In both these systems, it is easy to see how any neg ative number could be represented, not just ?1. used more intriguing is to use a negative base in the number For instance, representation.

as the machine was concerned, this a was to If 1 ?1. added full you really a of would 9s, you get carry all string the way along the number, and off

Even

is positive or negative, no is necessary in negadecimal. sign It is quite amusing to spend a few minutes converting numbers from to negadecimal and back decimal to per again, and to work out how and of form addition multiplication no in numbers written negadecimal tation. An ordinary microcomputer to act as a can easily be programmed in calculator for numbers negadeci mal format, and thismakes a nice ex number ercise in computer programming. The negabinary system could be used as a basis for computer hard ware design, and this would mean that it would not be necessary to have a sign bit in computer words.

/^Dv vf/
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you could represent your numbers in the negadecimal system, where the base is ?10. In this system, the number 211 is equal to the decimal number

1+ (1 x -10) + (2 x -10 x -10),

i.e., 191. Again, 35 in negadecimal the same as the decimal number 5+ So (3 x -10) = -25. is

UMC-1, a Polish-made computer of the late 1950s and early 1960s, of which several dozen were made and other know of any non early computers using standard kinds of arithmetic? anyone installed. Does

Professor W. M. Turski, of Poland, told me that a computer was actu num ally built which used "?2" base bers both in the arithmetic and in It was the the memory addressing.

is lo University a pleasant mid cated inMuncie, western of 100,000. community The with university has approximately and 2500 graduate State six colleges 17,500 un

in negadecimal, negative num can be (like ?25) represented without negative signs being neces sary. In fact, any number can be writ ten out in negadecimal notation, and the decimal regardless of whether bers

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1995 17 MathHorizons February

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