C Program to Convert Binary Number to Decimal

Converting from Binary to Decimal in C

There are mainly two techniques to convert binary numbers to decimal numbers in C. 
Let’s discuss them in detail. 

Approach 1

In this method, all the digits of the binary numbers are assigned some weight - starting from the rightmost, which is assigned a weight of zero(0). Moving towards the left, weight increases by one(1).  

Now, every digit of the number is multiplied by 2 to power the weight of that digit. After this, all the products are added together and that is the decimal equivalent of it. 
For example, let the binary number be (101)₂. For this, the decimal equivalent will be calculated as follows:

After adding all of them, 1+0+4=5. So, the decimal equivalent of (101)₂ is 5. 

Implementation

#include<stdio.h>
#include<math.h>
long long int Binary_To_Decimal(int val)
{
    long long int ans=0;                //stores the decimal value
    long long int mul=pow(2,0);         //stores power of 2
    long long int num=val;
    while(num)                          //calculating the product for every digit and adding to the result
    {
        int right=num%10;
        num=num/10;
        ans+=right*mul;
        mul=mul*2;
    }
    return ans;
}
int main() 
{
	int n;
	scanf("%d",&n); 
	printf("The decimal equivalent of binary number: %d is %lld",n,Binary_To_Decimal(n));
	return 0;
}

You can also try this code with Online C Compiler

Run Code

Input 1: 

101

Output 1:

The decimal equivalent of binary number: 101 is 5

Input 2: 

10111

Output 2:

The decimal equivalent of binary number: 10111 is 23

Table: Conversion Steps for Binary Number 101

Since the numbers, both binary and decimal, can be very large, we have used long long int data type. Of course, int can also be used. But, then, it might not work for large numbers. you can implement on an online c compiler.

Approach 2

This method involves considering each digit of the binary number from the left, unlike the first method. 
So, for every digit starting from the leftmost position, we add this digit to double the sum already obtained. Since there is no sum present for the leftmost digit, we start with 0. Let’s try to make it more clear with the help of an example. 

Let the binary number be 1101. 

So, the decimal equivalent of 1101 is 13. 

Implementation

#include<stdio.h>
#include<math.h>
long long int reverse_number(long long int num)   //reversing the number
{
	long long ans=0; 
	while(num) 
	{
		int rem=num%10; 
		ans=(ans*10)+rem; 
		num/=10;
	} 
	return ans;
}
long long int Binary_To_Decimal(long long int val)
{
    long long int rev_val=reverse_number(val);
    long long int ans=0;
    while(rev_val) 
    {
        int right=rev_val%10;
        rev_val=rev_val/10;
        ans=(ans*2)+right;        // doubling the sum and adding the digit
    }
    return ans;
} 
int main() 
{
	long long int n;
	scanf("%lld",&n); 
	printf("The decimal equivalent of binary number: %lld is %lld",n,Binary_To_Decimal(n));
	return 0;
}

You can also try this code with Online C Compiler

Run Code

Input 1: 

1101

Output 1:

The decimal equivalent of binary number:1101 is 13

Input 2: 

10111

Output 2:

The decimal equivalent of binary number:10111 is 23

Table: Conversion Steps for Binary Number 1101

In the above program, first, we have reversed the number as we have to consider the digits from left to right, and it is easier to access the digits from the right side. Again, long long int data type has been used to suffice the need in case of large values. 

Unfortunately, there is no built-in function available in C to achieve this task. Manual functions need to be implemented for this task. 

Must read decimal to binary c++, Short int in C Programming and  Tribonacci Series

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use recursion to convert binary to decimal in C?

Yes, you can use recursion to convert binary to decimal in C. A recursive function can process each bit and calculate the decimal value accordingly.

Can I convert large binary numbers to decimal in C?

Yes, you can convert large binary numbers to decimal in C by using data types like long long int to accommodate larger values and prevent overflow during conversion.

Is there any built-in function to convert from binary to decimal in C?

C does not have a built-in function specifically for converting binary to decimal. However, you can use libraries or custom functions to achieve this conversion efficiently.

Is it necessary to keep the return type of these conversion functions to long long int in C?

No, it is not necessary to keep the return type as a long long int in C. But, it is a good practice to do so as sometime the numbers may be very large.   

Can binary numbers be converted to other number systems in C?

Yes, a binary number can be converted to other number systems in C with some set of rules.

Conclusion

This article extensively discusses the conversion of binary numbers to decimal numbers. We also explain the different techniques to do so in detail. 

We hope that this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge regarding Binary to Decimal in C, and if you would like to learn more, check out our articles on C language. 

Also read reverse a number.

Recommended problems -

• Binary Array Sorting
• Vertical Order Traversal of a Binary Tree
• Leaf Nodes in Binary Tree

Happy Coding!