Octal

The octal numeral system is a base 8 numeral system. It uses the numerals 0 through 7. The system is similar to binary (base 2) and hexadecimal (base 16). Octal numerals are written using the letter o before the numeral, for example, o04 or o1242. Octal numbers are also sometimes written with a small 8 to the lower right, as in 1242₈.

At one time, the octal system was used mainly for work with computers. It provided an easier way to work with binary numbers. As computers changed from using 24-bit systems to 32- and 64-bit systems, hexadecimal replaced octal for most uses. Certain groups, for example, Native Americans using the Yuki language in California and the Pamean languages^[1] in Mexico, also use an octal numbering system. They do this because when they count, they use the spaces between their fingers instead of counting the actual fingers.

1. ↑ Avelino, Heriberto (2006), "The typology of Pame number systems and the limits of Mesoamerica as a linguistic area" (PDF), Linguistic Typology, 10: 41–60, doi:10.1515/LINGTY.2006.002, S2CID 20412558