Octal Subtraction
This calculator helps you subtract octal numbers, including fractional and negative values and displays the result in octal and decimal formats.
Octal, also known as base-8, is a number system that uses digits from 0 to 7. Each digit in an octal number represents a power of 8. This system is widely used in computing as it provides a compact way to represent binary values.
Octal Subtraction Calculator
Calculator
- enter your first octal number in the "First Octal" field. You can include fractions (e.g., 0.44) and negative values (e.g., -12)
- enter your second octal number
Results
- the difference between the two numbers displayed in an octal format
- the difference in decimal format
Subtraction in octal follows the same principles as subtraction in the decimal system, with the only difference being that it operates on base-8 numbers. When subtracting one octal number from another, you start by subtracting the digits in the rightmost place value (the ones place). If the digit being subtracted is larger than the digit it's being subtracted from, borrowing occurs from the next higher place value (the eights place), just as in decimal subtraction.
Example Calculation
Subtract 548 from 1278
- Subtract the digits in the ones place: 7 - 4 = 3. The ones place digit in the difference becomes a 3
- Since the minuend's digit is smaller than the subtrahend's digit in the eighths place, borrow 1 from the sixty-fours place. The eighths place becomes 128, and the sixty-fours place becomes 1 less = 0.
- Subtract the digits in the eighths place: 12 - 5 = 5
- The eighths place digit in the difference becomes a 5
- The result is 538
The difference between the octal numbers 127 - 54 is 538
In a positional numeral system, such as the decimal or octal system, the concept of "place-value" refers to the value of a digit based on its position within the number. The "next higher place value" refers to the place value of one position to the left of the current digit.
For example, in the decimal system:
- The place value of the rightmost digit is the ones place.
- The next higher place value to the left of the ones place is the tens place.
- The next higher place value to the left of the tens place is the hundreds place.
- And so on.
Similarly, in the octal system:
- The place value of the rightmost digit is the ones place.
- The next higher place value to the left of the ones place is the eights place.
- The next higher place value to the left of the eights place is the sixty-fours place.
- The next higher place value to the left of the sixty-fours place is the five hundred-twelves place value.
- And so on.