Home >> Hobbies >> Other Hobbies

How to Convert Integers to a Base-4 System

Standard numbers comprise a base-10 system, meaning you count up until you reach 10, at which point the digit is reduced to zero and one is added to the digit to the left. Other base systems work on the same principal, so in a base-4 system, the number 11 is the same as the number five in a base-10 system. Base-4 isn't used as often as base-2, base-8 and base-16, so there's no calculator on your computer that will automatically convert the number for you. Instead, you can use a simple mathematical process to convert any base-10 number to another base system.

Instructions

Convert Manually
- 1
  Divide your integer by four. Write the remainder down on a piece of paper. Remove the remainder from your result. Since you are dividing by four, the remainder should only be three, two, one or zero.
- 2
  Divide the result of the previous calculation, without the remainder, by four again. Write down the remainder and remove it from the result.
- 3
  Continue to divide the results by four and record the remainders until you reach a result that is less than zero. Record the remainder of this last result as well.
- 4
  Reverse the order of the remainders. For example, "321101" will become "101123." The number you create when you reverse the remainders is the base-4 equivalent of your integer.
Convert Using Online Assistance
- 5
  Visit the Base-N calculator website at eFunda.com. Once on the website, just type in a base-10 number and click "Go." The base-2 and base-16, also called decimal and hexadecimal, numbers will appear just below the input box. Scroll down the page and you'll see your original number converted to everything from base-2 to base-36, with base-4 being the third option listed.
- 6
  Navigate to AskNumbers.com. Type in your desired base-10 value into the small input box and select "base 10" from the column on the left. Select "base 4" from the column on the right and click "Convert." Your base-4 result will appear just below the "Convert" button.
- 7
  Browse to UnitConversion.org. Select "decimal" from the box on the left side of the screen and "base-4" from the box on the right side of the screen. Place your cursor into the entry field above the left box and type in your base-10 number. The base-4 equivalent of that number will appear in the entry field above the right box.

Other Hobbies