252 in Binary

The process of converting 252 from decimal to binary involves dividing the number 252 by 2. Here, it is 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 252 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 252 by 2 until getting 0 as the quotient is 11111100. 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 11111100.

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 11111100 in binary is indeed 252 in the decimal number system.

252 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 252 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 2^7 = 128 2^8 = 256 Since 256 is greater than 252, we stop at 2^7 = 128.

Step 2 - Identify the largest power of 2: In the previous step, we stopped at 2^7 = 128 because we have to identify the largest power of 2, which is less than or equal to the given number, 252. Since 2^7 is the number we are looking for, write 1 in the 2^7 place. Now the value of 2^7, which is 128, is subtracted from 252. 252 - 128 = 124.

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, 124. So, the next largest power of 2 is 2^6 = 64. Now, we have to write 1 in the 2^6 place. And then subtract 64 from 124. 124 - 64 = 60.

Step 4 - Repeat the process for remaining numbers: Continue finding the largest power of 2 less than or equal to the remaining number. 2^5 = 32. Write 1 in the 2^5 place. Subtract 32 from 60. Now, 60 - 32 = 28. 2^4 = 16. Write 1 in the 2^4 place. Subtract 16 from 28. Now, 28 - 16 = 12. 2^3 = 8. Write 1 in the 2^3 place. Subtract 8 from 12. Now, 12 - 8 = 4. 2^2 = 4. Write 1 in the 2^2 place. Subtract 4 from 4. Now, 4 - 4 = 0.

Step 5 - Identify the unused place values: In step 2 to step 4, we wrote 1s in the 2^7, 2^6, 2^5, 2^4, 2^3, and 2^2 places. Now, we can just write 0s in the remaining places, which are 2^1 and 2^0. Now, by substituting the values, we get, 0 in the 2^0 place 0 in the 2^1 place 1 in the 2^2 place 1 in the 2^3 place 1 in the 2^4 place 1 in the 2^5 place 1 in the 2^6 place 1 in the 2^7 place

Step 6 - Write the values in reverse order: We now write the numbers upside down to represent 252 in binary. Therefore, 11111100 is 252 in binary.

Grouping Method: In this method, we divide the number 252 by 2. Let us see the step-by-step conversion.

Step 1 - Divide the given number 252 by 2. 252 / 2 = 126. Here, 126 is the quotient and 0 is the remainder.

Step 2 - Divide the previous quotient (126) by 2. 126 / 2 = 63. Here, the quotient is 63 and the remainder is 0.

Step 3 - Repeat the previous step. 63 / 2 = 31. Now, the quotient is 31, and 1 is the remainder.

Step 4 - Repeat the previous step. 31 / 2 = 15. Here, the quotient is 15, and 1 is the remainder.

Step 5 - Repeat the previous step. 15 / 2 = 7. Here, the quotient is 7, and 1 is the remainder.

Step 6 - Repeat the previous step. 7 / 2 = 3. Here, the quotient is 3, and 1 is the remainder.

Step 7 - Repeat the previous step. 3 / 2 = 1. Here, the quotient is 1, and 1 is the remainder.

Step 8 - Repeat the previous step. 1 / 2 = 0. Here, the remainder is 1. And we stop the division here because the quotient is 0.

Step 9 - Write down the remainders from bottom to top.

Therefore, 252 (decimal) = 11111100 (binary).

There are certain rules to follow when converting any number to binary. Some of them are mentioned below:

Rule 1: Place Value Method 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 252. Since the answer is 2^7, write 1 next to this power of 2. Subtract the value (128) from 252. So, 252 - 128 = 124. Find the largest power of 2 less than or equal to 124. The answer is 2^6. So, write 1 next to this power. Now, 124 - 64 = 60. Continue this process until the remainder is 0. Final conversion will be 11111100.

Rule 2: Division by 2 Method 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, 252 is divided by 2 to get 126 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Now, 126 is divided by 2. Here, we will get 63 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Continue this division process until the quotient becomes 0. Now, we write the remainders upside down to get the binary equivalent of 252, 11111100.

Rule 3: Representation Method 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., 2^7, 2^6, 2^5, 2^4, 2^3, 2^2, 2^1, and 2^0. Find the largest power that fits into 252. 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.

Rule 4: Limitation Rule 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 252, we use 0s for 2^1 and 2^0 and 1s for all other places.

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 252.

Memorize to speed up conversions: We can memorize the binary forms for smaller numbers to help with conversions of larger numbers.

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 Continue this pattern to notice the binary progression.

Even and odd rule: Whenever a number is even, its binary form will end in 0. For e.g., 252 is even and its binary form is 11111100. Here, the binary of 252 ends in 0. If the number is odd, then its binary equivalent will end in 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.

• Decimal: It is the base 10 number system which uses digits from 0 to 9.
  
   
• Binary: This number system uses only 0 and 1. It is also called the base 2 number system.
  
   
• Place value: Every digit has a value based on its position in a given number. For example, in 252 (base 10), 2 has occupied the hundreds place, 5 is in the tens place, and 2 is in the ones place.
  
   
• Octal: It is the number system with a base of 8. It uses digits from 0 to 7.
  
   
• Quotient: The result obtained by dividing one number by another.