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Definition: octal


Meaning eight in Greek (Okta), octal is shorthand for human readability of six-bit binary characters, which were the common memory and storage configurations in earlier computers. Today, the eight-bit byte is the common structure.

In octal, three bits are converted into a single octal digit. Decimal numbers zero to seven are the same as octal numbers because three bits hold eight values. The following example shows octal and hexadecimal notation, which are both shorthand for human readability. See byte and hex.

    6-Bit           8-Bit
    Binary  Octal   Binary  Hexadecimal

    000 000   00    0000 0000   00
    000 001   01    0000 0001   01
    000 010   02    0000 0010   02
    000 011   03    0000 0011   03
    000 100   04    0000 0100   04
    000 101   05    0000 0101   05
    000 110   06    0000 0110   06
    000 111   07    0000 0111   07
                    0000 1000   08
                    0000 1001   09