Editing Numerical digit (section)

{{Short description|Symbols used to write numbers}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Hindu–Arabic numerals.svg|upright=1.5|thumb|alt=Numbers written from 0 to 9|The ten digits of the [[Arabic numerals]], in order of value]]

A '''numerical digit''' (often shortened to just '''digit''') or '''numeral''' is a single [[symbol]] used alone (such as "1"), or in combinations (such as "15"), to represent [[number]]s in [[positional notation]], such as the common [[base&nbsp;10]]. The name "digit" originates from the [[Latin]] ''digiti'' meaning fingers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/digit?s=t |title="Digit" Origin |publisher=[[dictionary.com]] |access-date=23 May 2015}}</ref>

For any numeral system with an integer [[radix|base]], the number of different digits required is the [[absolute value]] of the base. For example, decimal (base&nbsp;10) requires ten digits (0 to 9), and [[Binary number|binary]] (base&nbsp;2) requires only two digits (0 and 1). Bases greater than 10 require more than 10 digits, for instance [[hexadecimal]] (base&nbsp;16) requires 16 digits (usually 0 to 9 and A to F).