Last updated on August 18, 2025
57 in binary is written as 111001 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 the binary representation of 57.
The process of converting 57 from decimal to binary involves dividing the number 57 by 2. Here, it is getting divided by 2 because the binary number system uses only two 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 57 to binary. In the last step, the remainder is noted down bottom side up, and that becomes the converted value.
The remainders noted down after dividing 57 by 2 until getting 0 as the quotient is 111001. 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 57. 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 111001 in binary is indeed 57 in the decimal number system.
57 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 57 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 greater than 57, we stop at 2^5 = 32.
Step 2 - Identify the largest power of 2: In the previous step, we stopped at 2^5 = 32. 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, 57. Since 2^5 is the number we are looking for, write 1 in the 2^5 place. Now the value of 2^5, which is 32, is subtracted from 57. 57 - 32 = 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: Now, we find the largest power of 2 that fits into 9. The next largest power of 2 is 2^3, which is less than or equal to 9. Write 1 in the 2^3 place and subtract 8 from 9. 9 - 8 = 1.
Step 5 - Identify the next largest power of 2: The largest power of 2 that fits into 1 is 2^0. Write 1 in the 2^0 place and subtract 1 from 1. 1 - 1 = 0. We stop the process here since the remainder is 0.
Step 6 - Identify the unused place values: In the steps above, we wrote 1 in the 2^5, 2^4, 2^3, and 2^0 places. Now, we can just write 0s in the remaining places, which are 2^2 and 2^1. Now, by substituting the values, we get, 1 in the 2^0 place 0 in the 2^1 place 0 in the 2^2 place 1 in the 2^3 place 1 in the 2^4 place 1 in the 2^5 place
Step 7 - Write the values in reverse order: We now write the numbers upside down to represent 57 in binary. Therefore, 111001 is 57 in binary.
Grouping Method: In this method, we divide the number 57 by 2. Let us see the step-by-step conversion.
Step 1 - Divide the given number 57 by 2. 57 / 2 = 28. Here, 28 is the quotient and 1 is the remainder. Step 2 - Divide the previous quotient (28) by 2. 28 / 2 = 14. Here, the quotient is 14 and the remainder is 0.
Step 3 - Repeat the previous step. 14 / 2 = 7. Now, the quotient is 7, and 0 is the remainder. Step 4 - Repeat the previous step. 7 / 2 = 3. Here, the remainder is 1.
Step 5 - Repeat the previous step. 3 / 2 = 1. Here, the remainder is 1.
Step 6 - Repeat the previous step. 1 / 2 = 0. Here, the remainder is 1. And we stop the division here because the quotient is 0.
Step 7 - Write down the remainders from bottom to top. Therefore, 57 (decimal) = 111001 (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 57. Since the answer is 2^5, write 1 next to this power of 2. Subtract the value (32) from 57. So, 57 - 32 = 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. Now, 25 - 16 = 9. Continue identifying the largest power of 2, which is 2^3 for 9. Write 1 next to 2^3 and subtract 8 from 9. Now, 9 - 8 = 1. The largest power of 2 for 1 is 2^0. Write 1 for 2^0 and subtract 1 from 1, getting 0. Fill unused places (2^2 and 2^1) with 0s. Final conversion will be 111001.
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, 57 is divided by 2 to get 28 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Now, 28 is divided by 2. Here, we will get 14 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Dividing 14 by 2, we get 0 as the remainder and 7 as the quotient. Divide 7 by 2 to get 3 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Continue dividing until the quotient is 0, writing remainders upside down to get 111001 as the binary equivalent of 57.
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., 2^5, 2^4, 2^3, 2^2, 2^1, and 2^0. Find the largest power that fits into 57. 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 57, we use 0s for 2^2 and 2^1 and 1s for 2^5, 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 57.
Memorize to speed up conversions: We can memorize the binary forms for numbers in small ranges like 1 to 63. 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 example, 56 is even and its binary form is 111000. Here, the binary of 56 ends in 0. If the number is odd, then its binary equivalent will end in 1. For example, the binary of 57 (an odd number) is 111001. 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 57 from decimal to binary using the place value method.
111001
2^5 is the largest power of 2, which is less than or equal to 57. So place 1 next to 2^5. Subtracting 32 from 57, we get 25. The next largest power would be 2^4. So place another 1 next to 2^4. Now, subtracting 16 from 25, we get 9. The next largest power would be 2^3. So place another 1 next to 2^3. Subtracting 8 from 9, we get 1. So, place 1 next to 2^0. Now, we just place 0s in the remaining powers of 2, which are 2^2 and 2^1. By using this method, we can find the binary form of 57.
Convert 57 from decimal to binary using the division by 2 method.
111001
Divide 57 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 57 to binary using the representation method.
111001
Break the number 57 into powers of 2 and find the largest powers of 2. We get 2^5. So 1 is placed next to 2^5. Next, 57 - 32 = 25. Now, the largest power of 2 is 2^4. Once again, 1 is placed next to 2^4. Now, 25 - 16 = 9. The largest power of 2 for 9 is 2^3. Once again, 1 is placed next to 2^3. Now, 9 - 8 = 1. The largest power of 2 for 1 is 2^0. Place 1 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 57 as 111001.
How is 57 written in decimal, octal, and binary form?
Decimal form - 57 Octal - 71 Binary - 111001
The decimal system is also called the base 10 system. In this system, 57 is written as 57 only. We have already seen how 57 is written as 111001 in binary. So, let us focus on the octal system, which is base 8. To convert 57 to octal, we need to divide 57 by 8. So 57 / 8 = 7 with 1 as the remainder.
In the next step, divide the quotient from the previous step (7) by 8. So 7 / 8 = 0 with 7 as the remainder. The division process stops here because the quotient is now 0. Here, 1 and 7 are the remainders, and they have to be written in reverse order. So, 71 is the octal equivalent of 57.
Express 57 - 8 in binary.
11001
57 - 8 = 49 So, we need to write 49 in binary. Start by dividing 49 by 2. We get 24 as the quotient and 1 as the remainder. Next, divide 24 by 2. Now we get 12 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Divide 12 by 2 to get 6 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Divide 6 by 2 to get 3 as the quotient and 0 as the remainder. Divide 3 by 2 to get 1 as the quotient and 1 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 110001 (binary of 49).
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.
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