Decimal to Hexadecimal Conversion in MATLAB: The `dec2hex` Function

This article explains how to perform decimal to hexadecimal conversion in MATLAB using the built-in dec2hex function. We’ll cover the basic syntax and explore examples to illustrate its usage.

The dec2hex Function

The dec2hex function in MATLAB converts a decimal integer to its hexadecimal string equivalent. It offers flexibility in specifying the number of digits in the output hexadecimal string.

Syntax

• output = dec2hex(input): Converts the decimal integer input to its hexadecimal string representation. The output will have the minimum number of digits required to represent the hexadecimal value.
• output = dec2hex(input, N): Converts the decimal integer input to a hexadecimal string with N digits. If the hexadecimal representation requires fewer than N digits, it will be padded with leading zeros.

Examples

Let’s examine some practical examples to understand how the dec2hex function works.

Example 1: Basic Conversion

input = 65536;
output = dec2hex(input);
disp(output); % Output: 10000

In this example, the decimal number 65536 is converted to its hexadecimal equivalent “10000”. The function automatically determines the necessary number of digits.

Example 2: Specifying the Number of Digits

input = 65536;
output = dec2hex(input, 8);
disp(output); % Output: 00010000

Here, we specify that the output hexadecimal string should have 8 digits. Since the hexadecimal representation of 65536 (“10000”) requires only 5 digits, the output is padded with leading zeros to achieve the specified length of 8 digits.

Summary

The dec2hex function provides a convenient way to convert decimal integers to hexadecimal strings in MATLAB. The ability to specify the number of digits in the output allows for precise control over the formatting of the hexadecimal representation.