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Math function
BASE
Converts a number to text in another base, such as binary.
Rarely usedDifficulty 1250 · ProficientUsage rank #277 of 520
When to use it
Converts a number to text in a given base (2 to 36), with optional zero padding. Binary flags, hex colors, and short IDs.
The shape of it
- Syntax
=BASE(number, radix, [min_length])
Worked examples
Binary
=BASE(10,2) → 1010
Ten in binary.
Hex
=BASE(255,16) → FF
Hexadecimal.
Padded binary
=BASE(5,2,8) → 00000101
Padded to eight characters.
Worth knowing
- DECIMAL reverses it.
- Base 36 uses digits and letters, handy for compact codes.
- Unlike DEC2BIN, BASE handles numbers up to 2^53 and any base.
Where it goes wrong
- Negative numbers return #NUM!.
- The result is text; compare it with text, not numbers.
Related
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