Convert Binary to Base 4

Convert Binary (bin) to Base 4 (base 4) instantly and accurately.

Selected Binary (bin) - available characters: 0, 1

Conversion Formula

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

Convert Binary (base 2) → Base 4 (base 4)

Step 1: Expand each digit of 101010 (bin) by position:

        1 × 2^5 = 32
        0 × 2^4 =  0
        1 × 2^3 =  8
        0 × 2^2 =  0
        1 × 2^1 =  2
        0 × 2^0 =  0
        ────────────
        Sum = 42 (decimal)

Step 2: Divide 42 by 4 repeatedly (read remainders upward):

        42 ÷ 4 = 10  r 2
        10 ÷ 4 =  2  r 2
         2 ÷ 4 =  0  r 2
        Read remainders upward: 222

────────────────────────────
Result:  101010 (bin) = 222 (base 4)

About Binary

Binary (base 2) is the foundational numeral system of all digital electronics, using only 0 and 1. Each position represents a power of 2: 2⁰=1, 2¹=2, 2²=4, 2³=8. Leibniz formalised it in 1679; Shannon applied Boolean logic to circuits in 1948. 8 bits = 1 byte (256 values) - the fundamental unit in every CPU from the 8080 to ARM Cortex-X. Every integer, float, character, pixel, and instruction in any digital device is ultimately binary. Conversion: decimal 42 = 32+8+2 = 2⁵+2³+2¹ = 101010₂.

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.

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