Page "Hexadecimal" Paragraph 2

In situations where there is no context, hexadecimal numbers can be ambiguous and confused with numbers expressed in other bases.

There are several conventions for expressing values unambiguously.

A numerical subscript ( itself written in decimal ) can give the base explicitly: 159 < sub > 10 </ sub > is decimal 159 ; 159 < sub > 16 </ sub > is hexadecimal 159, which is equal to 345 < sub > 10 </ sub >.

Other authors prefer a text subscript, such as 159 < sub > decimal </ sub > and 159 < sub > hex </ sub >, or 159 < sub > d </ sub > and 159 < sub > h </ sub >.