octal

American  

[ok-tl] / ˈɒk tl /

adjective

1. Also of or relating to the number system with base 8, employing the numerals 0 through 7.

2. relating to or encoded in an octal system, especially for use by a digital computer.

3. (of an electronic device) having eight pins in its base for electrical connections.

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noun

1. octonary.

octal Scientific  

/ ŏk′təl /

1. Relating to a number system having a base of 8. Each place in an octal number represents a power of 8. Octal notation has often been used in computer programming because three-digit binary numbers are readily converted into one-digit octal numbers from 0 to 7.

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Etymology

Origin of octal

First recorded in 1935–40; oct- + -al ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

octal

“You’d punch one number wrong into a card, and you got a bunch of wasted paper … just a bunch of octal numbers that didn’t mean anything.”

From Scientific American ● Jul. 12, 2019

The left half of these registers is available for the storage of constants, tables, etc., when octal digits 7 through 11 act as index registers.

From Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3) October, 1960 by Digital Equipment Corporation

The contents of octal digits 0-5 of the index register location are unaffected by this instruction.

From Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3) October, 1960 by Digital Equipment Corporation

The construction `obscure in the extreme' is the    preferred emphatic form. :octal forty: /ok'tl for'tee/ /n./

From The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0, 24 Jul 1996 by Raymond, Eric S.

Communication is done completely via the typewriter in either octal numbers, decimal numbers, or alphanumeric codes.

From Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3) October, 1960 by Digital Equipment Corporation