A common Question from Students
A question I get asked by students all the time is :
Given a hex number, how do I know if it is in 2’s complement or 1’s complement; is it already in 2’s complement or do I have put it in 2’s complement, etc, yadda,yadda, yadda….
If I write a HEX number, I will ask for a decimal representation if you INTERPRET the encoding as a particular method (i.e, either 2’s complement, 1’s complement, signed magnitude).
A Hex or binary number BY ITSELF can represent ANYTHING (unsigned number, signed number, character code, colored llamas, etc). You MUST HAVE additional information that tells you what the encoding of the bits mean.