JavaScript Code for Binary to Decimal - Decimal to Binary Conversion
By Stephen Bucaro
In the number systems in use today, the digits are arranged in succession,
the position of each digit has a place value. Positional notation means that the
value of a digit in a number depends on its location in the number. The values
of the digits increases from right-to-left.
| Digit Number | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Exponent | 106 | 105 | 104 | 103 | 102 | 101 | 100 |
| Value | 1000000 | 100000 | 10000 | 1000 | 100 | 10 | 1 |
The decimal system is a base 10 system. In a base 10 system, the number in the
farthest right position indicates the number of 1s. The next position to the left
indicates the number of 10s. The next position to the left of the 10s indicates
the number of 100s, and so on, raising the value of each position by the positions
location number used as the exponent in a power-of-ten.
| Bit Number | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Exponent | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| Value | 128 | 64 | 32 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Binary numbers use a similar positional notation, with the farthest right position
indicating the number of 1s. The next position to the left indicates the number of
2s (10s in binary). The next position to the left of the 10s indicates the number of
4s (100s in binary), and so on, raising the value of each position by the positions
location number used as the exponent in a power-of-two.
To convert a binary number to decimal, if the position contains a 1, add that positions
value, in decimal, to the value of the decimal number. Continue adding the decimal values
of all the positions containing a 1. Shown below is JavaScript to convert the binary
number 1001011 to decimal.
var dec = 0;
var inbin = "1001011";
var bits = inbin.split('');
var inbinRev = bits.reverse();
var last = inbin.length;
for(var i = 0; i < last; i++)
{
if(inbinRev[i] == "1")
{
dec += Math.pow(2,i);
}
}
alert(dec);
In operation, the string split method is used split the binary number string into
an array of characters, in this case returning ["1","0","0","1","0","1","1"]. Then the
array reverse method is used to put the bits in order of increasing value. This
just makes the code easier to understand.
Then a for loop is used to run through the bits and test if a bit is a "1". If a
bit is a "1", using the Math pow method, the positional value of the bit is calculated
and added to the decimal value held in the variable dec.
Now, I know there are all kinds of other methods to convert a binary number to a decimal
number, some may be more efficient than this one. But this is a more pedagogical method.
Decimal to Binary Conversion
To perform decimal to binary conversion, just do the opposite of the above. Look for the
greatest power of 2 that will fit into the decimal number. Subtract the decimal value of
that power of 2 from the decimal number and set the most significant position of the binary
number to 1.
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