- In the base-10 numbering system, a digit is a symbol represented by a 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9
- A number is formed by a single digit or several digits
- Example: 425 is formed by 3 digits, 4, 2, and 5
- Each digit in a number has a place value that depends on the place or position it occupies in the number
- The sum of the place values of the digits in a number equals the value of the number
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A numerical digit is a single symbol (such as "2" or "5") used alone, or in combinations (such as "25"), to represent numbers (such as the number 25) according to some positional numeral systems. The single digits (as one-digit-numerals) and their combinations (such as "25") are the numerals of the numeral system they belong to. The name "digit" comes from the fact that the ten digits (Latin digiti meaning fingers) of the hands correspond to the ten symbols of the common base 10 numeral system, i.e. the decimal (ancient Latin adjective decem meaning ten) digits.
For a given numeral system with an integer base, the number of digits required to express arbitrary numbers is given by the absolute value of the base. For example, the decimal system (base 10) requires ten digits (0 through to 9), whereas the binary system (base 2) has two digits (e.g.: 0 and 1).