What does the word digits mean in math?

Answer 1

A digit in math is a component of a natural number which is less than the base of the number system you are using. Natural numbers are all of the non-negative integers, sometimes including zero.

So in the decimal number system, which has a base of 10, a digit is any number from 0 to 9.

If you are using the binary number system, which has a base of 2, a digit can only be a 0 or a 1.

If you are using the hexadecimal number system, which has a base of 16, a digit is any number from 0 to 15 (the numbers 10-15 are generally represented as A, B, C, D, E, F).

If you are using the Sexagesimal number system, which has a base of 60, a digit is any number from 0 to 59. This is the number system which the Babylonians used, which is one of the reasons why we divide an hour into 60 minutes, and a minute into 60 seconds. This is also why we have 360 degrees to a circle.