How many bits are required to represent the number 16 in binary?

To determine how many bits are required to represent the number 16 in binary, it is essential to understand how binary representation works. Each bit in binary represents a power of 2. The first bit represents (2^0) (1), the second bit (2^1) (2), the third bit (2^2) (4), the fourth bit (2^3) (8), and so forth.

When representing the number 16 in binary, we look for the smallest number of bits necessary that can express this value. In binary, 16 is represented as (10000). This means:

• The first bit (1) (which represents (2^4)) is set to 1,

• The next four bits (0000) (which represent (2^3), (2^2), (2^1), and (2^0)) are all set to 0.

Thus, we see that to fully express the number 16, five bits are technically required. However, if we consider a number of bits that can represent values from 0 to a maximum limit, it can be helpful to refer to how many bits are commonly