A numeration system, or numeral system, is an orderly method in which each numeral of the system is associated with a unique number. Thomas Harriot (1560-1621) is recognized as having given the first generalized treatment of positional number systems. However, his work went unpublished, thus allowing Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716) to be credited for the achievement. Both men independently developed the theory of positional number systems.

The decimal position system, which uses ten as its base number, has become the dominant numeration system in the world. Three other important types of number systems are binary, hexadecimal, and octal numeration. The "binary number system" is a positional representation of numbers based on the number 2 and the powers of 2. The "octal number system" is a positional representation of numbers based on the number 8 and the powers of 8, and the "hexadecimal number...