Last updated on August 19th, 2025
89 in binary is written as 1011001 because the binary system uses only two digits, 0 and 1, to represent numbers. This number system is used widely in computer systems. In this topic, we are going to learn about binary representation of 89.
The process of converting 89 from decimal to binary involves dividing the number 89 by 2. Here, it is getting divided by 2 because the binary number system uses only 2 digits (0 and 1). The quotient becomes the dividend in the next step, and the process continues until the quotient becomes 0.
This is a commonly used method to convert 89 to binary. In the last step, the remainder is noted down bottom side up, and that becomes the converted value.
For example, the remainders noted down after dividing 89 by 2 until getting 0 as the quotient is 1011001. Remember, the remainders here have been written upside down.
In the table shown below, the first column shows the binary digits (1 and 0) as 1011001. The second column represents the place values of each digit, and the third column is the value calculation, where the binary digits are multiplied by their corresponding place values.
The results of the third column can be added to cross-check if 1011001 in binary is indeed 89 in the decimal number system.
89 can be converted easily from decimal to binary. The methods mentioned below will help us convert the number. Let’s see how it is done.
Expansion Method: Let us see the step-by-step process of converting 89 using the expansion method.
Step 1 - Figure out the place values: In the binary system, each place value is a power of 2. Therefore, in the first step, we will ascertain the powers of 2. 2^0 = 1 2^1 = 2 2^2 = 4 2^3 = 8 2^4 = 16 2^5 = 32 2^6 = 64 Since 64 is less than 89, we stop at 2^6 = 64.
Step 2 - Identify the largest power of 2: In the previous step, we stopped at 2^6 = 64. This is because in this step, we have to identify the largest power of 2, which is less than or equal to the given number, 89. Since 2^6 is the number we are looking for, write 1 in the 2^6 place. Now the value of 2^6, which is 64, is subtracted from 89. 89 - 64 = 25.
Step 3 - Identify the next largest power of 2: In this step, we need to find the largest power of 2 that fits into the result of the previous step, 25. So, the next largest power of 2 is 2^4, which is less than or equal to 25. Now, we have to write 1 in the 2^4 places. And then subtract 16 from 25. 25 - 16 = 9.
Step 4 - Identify the next largest power of 2: Again, find the largest power of 2 that fits into the result of the previous step, 9. So, the next largest power of 2 is 2^3, which is less than or equal to 9. Write 1 in the 2^3 place. Subtracting 8 from 9 gives us 1.
Step 5 - Identify the next largest power of 2: Now, find the largest power of 2 that fits into 1, which is 2^0. Write 1 in the 2^0 place. Subtracting 1 from 1 gives us 0, so we stop here.
Step 6 - Identify the unused place values: In steps 2 to 5, we wrote 1 in the 2^6, 2^4, 2^3, and 2^0 places. Now, we can just write 0s in the remaining places, which are 2^5, 2^2, and 2^1. Now, by substituting the values, we get: 1 in the 2^6 place 0 in the 2^5 place 1 in the 2^4 place 1 in the 2^3 place 0 in the 2^2 place 0 in the 2^1 place 1 in the 2^0 place
Step 7 - Write the values in reverse order: We now write the numbers upside down to represent 89 in binary. Therefore, 1011001 is 89 in binary.
Grouping Method: In this method, we divide the number 89 by 2. Let us see the step-by-step conversion.
Step 1 - Divide the given number 89 by 2. 89 / 2 = 44. Here, 44 is the quotient and 1 is the remainder.
Step 2 - Divide the previous quotient (44) by 2. 44 / 2 = 22. Here, the quotient is 22 and the remainder is 0. Step 3 - Repeat the previous step. 22 / 2 = 11. Now, the quotient is 11, and 0 is the remainder.
Step 4 - Repeat the previous step. 11 / 2 = 5. Here, the remainder is 1.
Step 5 - Repeat the previous step. 5 / 2 = 2. Here, the remainder is 1.
Step 6 - Repeat the previous step. 2 / 2 = 1. Here, the remainder is 0.
Step 7 - Repeat the previous step. 1 / 2 = 0. Here, the remainder is 1. And we stop the division here because the quotient is 0.
Step 8 - Write down the remainders from bottom to top. Therefore, 89 (decimal) = 1011001 (binary).
There are certain rules to follow when converting any number to binary. Some of them are mentioned below:
This is one of the most commonly used rules to convert any number to binary. The place value method is the same as the expansion method, where we need to find the largest power of 2. Let’s see a brief step-by-step explanation to understand the first rule. Find the largest power of 2 less than or equal to 89. Since the answer is 2^6, write 1 next to this power of 2. Subtract the value (64) from 89. So, 89 - 64 = 25. Find the largest power of 2 less than or equal to 25. The answer is 2^4. So, write 1 next to this power. Subtract 25 - 16 = 9. Next, find the largest power of 2 less than or equal to 9. The answer is 2^3. So, write 1 next to this power. Subtract 9 - 8 = 1. Next, find the largest power of 2 less than or equal to 1. The answer is 2^0. So, write 1 next to this power. Now, we just place 0s in the remaining powers (2^5, 2^2, and 2^1). Final conversion will be 1011001.
The division by 2 method is the same as the grouping method. A brief step-by-step explanation is given below for better understanding. First, 89 is divided by 2 to get 44 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Now, 44 is divided by 2. Here, we will get 22 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Dividing 22 by 2, we get 11 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Divide 11 by 2 to get 5 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Divide 5 by 2 to get 2 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Divide 2 by 2 to get 1 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Divide 1 by 2 to get 0 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. We stop the division once the quotient becomes 0. Now, we write the remainders upside down to get the binary equivalent of 89, 1011001.
This rule also involves breaking the number into powers of 2. Identify the powers of 2 and write them down in decreasing order i.e., 2^6, 2^5, 2^4, 2^3, 2^2, 2^1, and 2^0. Find the largest power that fits into 89. Repeat the process and allocate 1s and 0s to the suitable powers of 2. Combine the digits (0 and 1) to get the binary result.
The limitation of the binary system is that only 0s and 1s can be used to represent numbers. The system doesn’t use any other digits other than 0 and 1. This is a base 2 number system, where the binary places represent powers of 2. So, every digit is either a 0 or a 1. To convert 89, we use 0s for 2^5, 2^2, and 2^1 and 1s for 2^6, 2^4, 2^3, and 2^0.
Learning a few tips and tricks is a great way to solve any mathematical problems easily. Let us take a look at some tips and tricks for binary numbers up to 89.
Memorize to speed up conversions: We can memorize the binary forms for numbers 1 to 89. 1 → 1, 2 → 10, 3 → 11, 4 → 100, 5 → 101, 6 → 110, 7 → 111, 8 → 1000, ..., 89 → 1011001.
Recognize the patterns: There is a peculiar pattern when converting numbers from decimal to binary. 1 → 1 1 + 1 = 2 → 10 2 + 2 = 4 → 100 4 + 4 = 8 → 1000 8 + 8 = 16 → 10000 16 + 16 = 32 → 100000…and so on. This is also called the double and add rule.
Even and odd rule: Whenever a number is even, its binary form will end in 0. For e.g., 88 is even and its binary form is 1011000. Here, the binary of 88 ends in 0. If the number is odd, then its binary equivalent will end in 1. For e.g., the binary of 89 (an odd number) is 1011001. As you can see, the last digit here is 1.
Cross-verify the answers: Once the conversion is done, we can cross-verify the answers by converting the number back to the decimal form. This will eliminate any unforeseen errors in conversion.
Practice by using tables: Writing the decimal numbers and their binary equivalents on a table will help us remember the conversions.
Here, let us take a look at some of the most commonly made mistakes while converting numbers to binary.
Convert 89 from decimal to binary using the place value method.
1011001
2^6 is the largest power of 2, which is less than or equal to 89. So place 1 next to 2^6. Subtracting 64 from 89, we get 25. So the next largest power would be 2^4. So place another 1 next to 2^4. Now, subtracting 16 from 25, we get 9. Next, place 1 next to 2^3, since 8 is the largest power less than or equal to 9. Subtract 8 from 9 to get 1. Place 1 next to 2^0. Now, we just place 0s in the remaining powers of 2, which are 2^5, 2^2, and 2^1. By using this method, we can find the binary form of 89.
Convert 89 from decimal to binary using the division by 2 method.
1011001
Divide 89 by 2. In the next step, the quotient becomes the new dividend. Continue the process until the quotient becomes 0. Now, write the remainders upside down to get the final result.
Convert 89 to binary using the representation method.
1011001
Break the number 89 into powers of 2 and find the largest powers of 2. We get 2^6. So 1 is placed next to 2^6. Next, 89 - 64 = 25. Now, the largest power of 2 is 2^4. Once again, 1 is placed next to 2^4. Now, 25 - 16 = 9. Next, the largest power of 2 is 2^3. Again, 1 is placed next to 2^3. Now, 9 - 8 = 1. The largest power left is 2^0, so 1 is placed next to 2^0. After getting 0, fill in with zeros for unused powers of 2. By following this method, we get the binary value of 89 as 1011001.
How is 89 written in decimal, octal, and binary form?
Decimal form - 89 Octal - 131 Binary - 1011001
The decimal system is also called the base 10 system. In this system, 89 is written as 89 only. We have already seen how 89 is written as 1011001 in binary. So, let us focus on the octal system, which is base 8. To convert 89 to octal, we need to divide 89 by 8. So 89 / 8 = 11 with 1 as the remainder. In the next step, divide the quotient from the previous step (11) by 8. So 11 / 8 = 1 with 3 as the remainder. The division process stops here because the quotient is now 0. Here, 3 and 1 are the remainders, and they have to be written in reverse order. So, 131 is the octal equivalent of 89.
Express 89 - 42 in binary.
101111
89 - 42 = 47 So, we need to write 47 in binary. Start by dividing 47 by 2. We get 23 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Next, divide 23 by 2. Now we get 11 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Divide 11 by 2 to get 5 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Divide 5 by 2 to get 2 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Divide 2 by 2 to get 1 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Divide 1 by 2 to get 0 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Now write the remainders from bottom to top to get 101111 (binary of 47).
Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana has almost two years of teaching experience. She is a number ninja as she loves numbers. Her interest in numbers can be seen in the way she cracks math puzzles and hidden patterns.
: She loves to read number jokes and games.