Python: hex() function

hex() function

The hex() function converts an integer number to a lowercase hexadecimal string prefixed with "0x". Hexadecimal is a base-16 number system, commonly used in programming to represent binary data more compactly.

Version:

Available in: Python 3.2.5 and later

Syntax:

hex(x)

Parameter:

Return Value:

The function returns the hexadecimal representation of an integer as a string, prefixed with "0x".

Example: Using hex() with integers

number = 127
print(number, 'in hex =', hex(number))

number = 0
print(number, 'in hex =', hex(number))

number = -35
print(number, 'in hex =', hex(number))

returnType = type(hex(number))
print('Return type from hex() is', returnType)

Output:

127 in hex = 0x7f
0 in hex = 0x0
-35 in hex = -0x23
Return type from hex() is <class 'str'>

Explanation:

• 127 is represented as 0x7f in hexadecimal.
• 0 becomes 0x0, and negative integers also retain the 0x prefix with the negative sign (-0x23 for -35).
• The return type of the hex() function is <class 'str'>, indicating that it returns a string.

Example: Using hex() with floating-point numbers

While the hex() function is used for integers, Python provides a similar method for floating-point numbers using the float.hex() method, which converts floating-point numbers to a hexadecimal floating-point string.

number = 5.25
print(number, 'in hex =', float.hex(number))

number = 0.0
print(number, 'in hex =', float.hex(number))

number = 15.5
print(number, 'in hex =', float.hex(number))

Output:

5.25 in hex = 0x1.5000000000000p+2
0.0 in hex = 0x0.0p+0
15.5 in hex = 0x1.f000000000000p+3

Explanation:

• The float.hex() method represents a floating-point number in a hexadecimal format.
• For 5.25, it converts to 0x1.5000000000000p+2, where p represents the power of 2 (binary exponent).
• 15.5 is represented as 0x1.f000000000000p+3, and 0.0 as 0x0.0p+0.

Pictorial Presentation:

Summary:

• The hex() function is useful for converting integers to hexadecimal strings, especially when working with low-level data.
• For floating-point numbers, Python provides the float.hex() method, which converts floats to a hexadecimal representation.

Python Code Editor:

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