1-36
Q41.
Add:
Subtraction of Hex Numbers
The subtraction of hex numbers looks more difficult than it really is. In the preceding sections you
learned all the rules for subtraction. Now you need only to apply those rules to a new number system. The
symbols may be different and the amount of the borrow is different, but the rules remain the same.
Use the hex addition table (table 1-6) to follow the solution of the following problems:
Working from left to right, first locate the subtrahend (2) in column Y. Follow this line across area Z
until you reach C. The difference is located in column X directly above the C in this case A. Use this
same procedure to reach the solution:
Now examine the following solutions:
In the previous example, when F was subtracted from 1E, a borrow was used. Since you cannot
subtract F from E and have a positive difference, a borrow of 1016 was taken from the next higher value
column. The borrow was added to E, and the higher value column was reduced by 1.
The following example shows the use of the borrow in a more difficult problem:
