Converting Hexadecimal to Decimal on a TI-86

First, enter the Hexadecimal number.
  • To enter characters 0-9, just press those number keys.
  • To enter characters A-F, press "2nd", "BASE", "F1", then either press "2nd" "M1" to enter an "A"; or press "F1-F5" to enter "B-F".  Note that these characters are different from the ones you can enter in "ALPHA" mode.
  • Finally, to indicate the string of characters you just entered is a Hexadecimal number, press "2nd", "BASE", "F2", "F2".
At this point, my screen looks like this: "A3h" (i.e. it just shows the Hex number I entered).


Next, indicate that you want the calculator to convert the number to some other base, and specify the base.
  • To specify that you want the calculator to convert the number to Decimal, press "2nd", "BASE", "F3", "F4".
  • To cause the calculator to actually perform and display the result of the conversion, press "ENTER".

At this point, my screen looks like this: "A3h►Dec" (on the first line), and "163" (on the second line).


That's right, "A3" in Hexadecimal equals "163" in Decimal.

Check it in your head:
Convert "A" from Hex to Decimal: 0xA = 10.
Multiply that by 16 since the "A" was in the 16s place: 10 ✕ 16 = 160.
Convert "3" from Hex to Decimal: 0x3 = 3.
Multiple that by 1 since the "3" was in the 1s place: 3 ✕ 1 = 3.
Add those two results together: 160 + 3 = 163.

You're done!

Do you know of any other ways to perform this conversion on a TI-86?

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