Convert Base 4 to Decimal

Convert Base 4 (base 4) to Decimal (dec) instantly and accurately.

Selected Base 4 (base 4) - available characters: 0, 1, 2, 3

Conversion Formula

Step-by-step example using the value 42 (decimal):

Convert Base 4 (base 4) → Decimal (base 10)

Step 1: Expand each digit of 222 (base 4) by position:

        2 × 4^2 = 32
        2 × 4^1 =  8
        2 × 4^0 =  2
        ────────────
        Sum = 42 (decimal)

Step 2: Target is decimal - Step 1 result is the final answer.

────────────────────────────
Result:  222 (base 4) = 42 (dec)

About Base 4

Quaternary (base 4) uses digits 0-3. Each position is a power of 4: 4⁰=1, 4¹=4, 4²=16. Because 4 = 2², each quaternary digit maps to exactly 2 bits (0=00, 1=01, 2=10, 3=11). Used in bioinformatics to encode DNA nucleotides (A, C, G, T = 0-3), storing the human genome (3.2 Gbp) in ≈750 MB. 4-QAM encodes exactly 2 bits per symbol. Conversion: decimal 42 = 2×16+2×4+2 = 222₄.

About Decimal

Decimal (base 10) is the universal positional system using digits 0-9. Each position is a power of 10: 10⁰=1, 10¹=10, 10²=100. Attributed to human anatomy (ten fingers). The Hindu-Arabic system - including zero - was formalised by Brahmagupta (628 CE) and spread via al-Khwarizmi (c. 820 CE). SI and metric systems are base-10. IEEE 754-2008 added decimal64/128 formats for exact decimal arithmetic in financial applications. Conversion: decimal 42 is the reference value used throughout this converter.

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