So we must tell Python we want our number in binary.

When we recall it, it still wants to present it to us in decimal. But it’s been stored independent of base. Bases 2 and 36 are included in the range.Īfter we add the two numbers together and store the result in mysum, we print the sum. You can use the second parameter to specify any base between 2 and 36. By specifying the second parameter of 2, we instruct int() to interpret the string as a binary number. Normally int() would throw an error given a string with a letter in it. But as we did that, we converted each to an integer in base 10 using the function int(). So we have two variables of type string storing the binary representation of 4 and 6, respectively. Next, we assigned a string of “0b110” to the variable num2. In the code snippet above, we started by assigning a string of “0b100” to the variable num1. If you’d like to keep numbers in your code strictly binary, here’s a solution. “But what if I want to have my numbers returned to me in binary?” Truthfully, Python processes all the mathematical operators independent of base, but it always returns them to you in decimal. So, when you retrieve it, you’ll get a decimal value of 3. It just stores the value without indicating you’d like it represented in binary.

This results in the variable number1 storing a value of three. Whenever you want to store a binary value in a variable, it will convert it to decimal for you. When you enter a binary number, start with the prefix ‘0b’ (that’s a zero followed by a minuscule b).Ġb11is the same as binary 11, which equates to a decimal 3. In Python, using binary numbers takes a few more steps than using decimal numbers. We could have started this section by stating, “Binary only uses 10 digits.” If you don’t get the joke, read the explanation of how binary works again.

Python binary to int