How To Convert Decimal To Octal In Java

The digits 0 through 7 are used in the base-8 numbering system known as octal. With Java, you may use the built-in Integer.toOctalString() function to change a decimal integer to an octal one.

The octal value of an integer is represented as a string via the toOctalString() method, which accepts an integer argument. The octal number is represented as a string by the toOctalString() function. Using the Integer.parseInt() function to change the octal number back to an integer before performing any mathematical operations.

Reason for converting decimal to octal in java

There are several reasons why you might need to convert decimal to octal in Java. Here are some of the most common reasons:

  • Memory Efficiency: Octal numbers are base-8 numbers, which means they can represent more information with fewer digits than decimal numbers. This can be important in situations where memory efficiency is a concern, such as in embedded systems or large-scale data processing applications.
  • Unix File Permissions: Unix systems use octal numbers to represent file permissions. Converting decimal numbers to octal is therefore necessary when working with file permissions in Java.
  • Networking: Octal numbers are sometimes used in networking applications to represent IP addresses or port numbers. In such cases, converting decimal to octal is necessary to properly interpret or display these values.
  • Debugging: In some cases, it may be easier to debug a program if you can view the values of variables in octal format. Converting decimal to octal can help you better understand the underlying values of your program’s variables and data structures.

Method for converting decimal to octal in java

In Java, there are multiple ways to convert a decimal number to its octal equivalent. Here are some of the most common methods:

  • Method 1: Using Integer.toOctalString()
  • Method 2: Using the % operator
  • Method 3: Using recursion

Let’s find the way for converting decimal to octal in java in details:

Approach 1: Using Integer.toOctalString() for converting decimal to octal in java

This method uses the built-in Integer.toOctalString() method to convert the decimal number to its octal equivalent. The method takes an integer argument and returns a string representation of the octal value of that integer.

Code:

public class DecimalToOctalExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int decimalNumber = 123;
        String octalNumber = Integer.toOctalString(decimalNumber);
        System.out.println("Decimal number: " + decimalNumber);
        System.out.println("Octal number: " + octalNumber);
    }
}

Output:

Decimal number: 123
Octal number: 173

Explanation of the code:

  • The code starts by defining a DecimalToOctalExample class with a main() method.
  • In the main() method, we initialize an integer variable decimalNumber to 123. This is the decimal number we want to convert to octal.
  • We then use the Integer.toOctalString() method to convert the decimal number to its octal equivalent, which is stored in a string variable octalNumber.
  • Finally, we print both the decimal and octal numbers to the console using the System.out.println() method.

Approach 2: Using the % operator for converting decimal to octal in java

This method uses the modulo operator % to repeatedly divide the decimal number by 8, and concatenate the remainder to form the octal number. The while loop continues until the decimal number becomes zero.

Code:

import java.util.Scanner;
public class DecimalToOctal {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a decimal number: ");
        int decimal = input.nextInt();
        int octal = 0;
        int count = 0;
          while (decimal != 0) {
            int remainder = decimal % 8;
            octal += remainder * Math.pow(10, count);
            count++;
            decimal /= 8;
        }
                System.out.println("The octal equivalent is: " + octal);
    }
}

Output:

Enter a decimal number: 123
The octal equivalent is: 173

Explanation of the code:

  • We import the java.util.Scanner package to allow user input.
  • In the main method, we prompt the user to enter a decimal number and store it in the variable decimal.
  • We initialize octal to 0 and count to 0. octal will hold the octal equivalent of the decimal number, and count will be used to keep track of the position of each digit in the octal number.
  • We enter a while loop that will continue as long as decimal is not 0.
  • Inside the while loop, we calculate the remainder when decimal is divided by 8 using the % operator and store it in the variable remainder.
  • We update octal by adding remainder multiplied by 10 raised to the power of count.
  • We increment count by 1 and update decimal by dividing it by 8 (integer division).
  • Once the while loop completes, we output the octal equivalent of the decimal number using System.out.println.

Approach 3: Using recursion for converting decimal to octal in java

This method uses recursion to divide the decimal number by 8 and concatenate the remainders to form the octal number. The base case is when the decimal number becomes zero, at which point the method returns the octal number as a string.

Code:

import java.util.Scanner;
public class DecimalToOctal {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a decimal number: ");
        int decimal = input.nextInt();
        int octal = convertToOctal(decimal);
        System.out.println("The octal equivalent is: " + octal);
    }
        public static int convertToOctal(int decimal) {
        if (decimal == 0) {
            return 0;
        } else {
            return (decimal % 8) + 10 * convertToOctal(decimal / 8);
        }
    }
}

Output:

Enter a decimal number: 123
The octal equivalent is: 173

Explanation of the code:

  • We import the java.util.Scanner package to allow user input.
  • In the main method, we prompt the user to enter a decimal number and store it in the variable decimal.
  • We call the convertToOctal method to convert decimal to its octal equivalent and store the result in the variable octal.
  • We output the octal equivalent of the decimal number using System.out.println.
  • The convertToOctal method takes an integer argument decimal and returns its octal equivalent.
  • If decimal is 0, we return 0 since the octal equivalent of 0 is 0.
  • Otherwise, we use recursion to calculate the octal equivalent of the remaining decimal number. We take the remainder when the decimal is divided by 8 using the % operator and add it to 10 times the result of calling convertToOctal with the decimal divided by 8 (integer division).
  • The recursion continues until decimal becomes 0, at which point the method returns the octal equivalent.

Best Approach for converting decimal to octal in java

The Integer.toOctalString() method is considered the best approach for converting decimal to octal in Java due to the following reasons:

  • Simplicity: Java includes a built-in method called Integer.toOctalString() that can convert decimal to octal easily. The user is familiar with this method and this can be used as a straightforward one-line method call.
  • Speed: Methods for converting decimal to octal are substantially slower than the performance-optimized Integer.toOctalString() method. It is because the hardware acceleration is utilized when available and is implemented in native code.
  • Accuracy: This function has excellent precision and dependability. This method is used globally and it has undergone extensive testing. While employing this strategy, there is very minimal likelihood of mistakes or defects.
  • Readability: There is no need for further comments or explanation because the code is self-explanatory and it can be understood easily.
  • Consistency: It ensures that your code functions as intended by producing the same outcomes across various platforms and operating systems.
  • Security: Use of the approach is secure and safe. It is safe to use in production code and does not present any security risks or vulnerabilities.

Sample Problems for converting decimal to octal in java

Sample Problem 1

Write a program that takes an input decimal number and converts it to its octal equivalent using Integer.toOctalString() method, without using any built-in Java method for converting a string to an integer.

Solution:

  • The program starts by importing the java.util.Scanner class, which is used for taking input from the user.
  • The program defines a DecimalToOctalWithoutParsing class with a main() method.
  • Inside the main() method, we create a Scanner object to read input from the user. We then prompt the user to enter a decimal number using the System.out.print() method, and read the input using the scanner.nextInt() method, which reads an integer value from the user.
  • We then define an empty string octalNumber which will store the octal equivalent of the decimal number.
  • We use a while loop to convert the decimal number to its octal equivalent. Inside the loop, we calculate the remainder of the decimal number when divided by 8, and append it to the beginning of the octalNumber string using the + operator. We then update the value of decimalNumber to be the quotient of the original decimalNumber divided by 8.
  • We repeat this process until decimalNumber becomes 0, at which point we have converted the entire decimal number to its octal equivalent.
  • Finally, we print the octal number using the System.out.println() method.
import java.util.Scanner;
public class DecimalToOctalWithoutParsing {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a decimal number: ");
        int decimalNumber = scanner.nextInt();

        String octalNumber = "";

        while (decimalNumber > 0) {
            int remainder = decimalNumber % 8;
            octalNumber = remainder + octalNumber;
            decimalNumber = decimalNumber / 8;
        }

        System.out.println("Octal number: " + octalNumber);
    }
}

Output:

When you run the program and enter a decimal number, the program will convert it to its octal equivalent and print it to the console. For example, if you enter the decimal number 123, the program will output:
Enter a decimal number: 123
Octal number: 173

Sample Problem 2

Write a program that takes an input string representing a decimal number and uses the % operator to convert it to its octal equivalent. If the input string is not a valid decimal number, print an error message.

Solution:

  • The program starts by importing the java.util.Scanner class, which is used for taking input from the user.
  • The program defines a DecimalToOctalWithModulo class with a main() method.
  • Inside the main() method, we create a Scanner object to read input from the user. We then prompt the user to enter a string representing a decimal number using the System.out.print() method, and read the input using the scanner.nextLine() method, which reads a line of text input from the user.
  • We then check whether the input string is a valid decimal number. To do this, we initialize a boolean variable isValidDecimal to true, and an integer variable decimalNumber to 0. We then use a for loop to iterate through each character in the input string. If any character is not a digit between 0 and 9, we set isValidDecimal to false and break out of the loop. Otherwise, we update the value of decimalNumber by multiplying it by 10 and adding the value of the current digit to it. At the end of the loop, decimalNumber will contain the integer value of the input string, or 0 if the input string is not a valid decimal number.
  • If the input string is a valid decimal number, we use a similar approach to the previous example to convert it to its octal equivalent. We define an empty string octalNumber which will store the octal equivalent of the decimal number, and use a while loop to convert the decimal number to its octal equivalent using the % and / operators. At the end of the loop, octalNumber will contain the octal equivalent of the decimal number.
  • If the input string is not a valid decimal number, we print an error message using the System.out.println() method.
import java.util.Scanner;
public class DecimalToOctalWithModulo {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a decimal number: ");
        String decimalString = scanner.nextLine();
        boolean isValidDecimal = true;
        int decimalNumber = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < decimalString.length(); i++) {
            char digit = decimalString.charAt(i);
            if (digit < '0' || digit > '9') {
                isValidDecimal = false;
                break;
            }
            decimalNumber = decimalNumber * 10 + (digit - '0');
        }
        if (isValidDecimal) {
            String octalNumber = "";
            while (decimalNumber > 0) {
                int remainder = decimalNumber % 8;
                octalNumber = remainder + octalNumber;
                decimalNumber = decimalNumber / 8;
            }
            System.out.println("Octal number: " + octalNumber);
        } else {
            System.out.println("Error: Input is not a valid decimal number.");
        }
    }
}

Output:

When you run the program and enter a string representing a decimal number, the program will either convert it to its octal equivalent and print it to the console, or print an error message if the input string is not a valid decimal number. For example, if you enter the string "123", the program will output:
Enter a decimal number: 123
Octal number: 173

Sample Problem 3

Write a program that takes an input decimal number and uses recursion to convert it to its octal equivalent. If the input number is negative, print an error message.

Solution:

  • The program starts by importing the java.util.Scanner class, which is used for taking input from the user.
  • The program defines a DecimalToOctalWithRecursion class with a main() method and a convertToOctal() method.
  • Inside the main() method, we create a Scanner object to read input from the user. We then prompt the user to enter a decimal number using the System.out.print() method, and read the input using the scanner.nextInt() method, which reads an integer value from the user.
  • We then check whether the input number is non-negative. If it is, we call the convertToOctal() method to convert the decimal number to its octal equivalent. If it is not, we print an error message using the System.out.println() method.
  • The convertToOctal() method uses recursion to convert the decimal number to its octal equivalent. If the decimal number is less than 8, we simply return its string representation using the Integer.toString() method. Otherwise, we compute the remainder and quotient of dividing the decimal number by 8 using the % and / operators, respectively. We then recursively call convertToOctal() with the quotient as its argument, and concatenate the remainder to the result using the + operator.
  • When the base case is reached (i.e., the decimal number is less than 8), the recursion stops and the method returns the octal equivalent of the decimal number.
import java.util.Scanner;
public class DecimalToOctalWithRecursion {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
        System.out.print("Enter a decimal number: ");
        int decimalNumber = scanner.nextInt();
        if (decimalNumber < 0) {
            System.out.println("Error: Input number must be non-negative.");
        } else {
            String octalNumber = convertToOctal(decimalNumber);
            System.out.println("Octal number: " + octalNumber);
        }
    }
    public static String convertToOctal(int decimalNumber) {
        if (decimalNumber < 8) {
            return Integer.toString(decimalNumber);
        } else {
            int remainder = decimalNumber % 8;
            int quotient = decimalNumber / 8;
            return convertToOctal(quotient) + remainder;
        }
    }
}

Output:

When you run the program and enter a non-negative decimal number, the program will convert it to its octal equivalent using recursion and print it to the console. For example, if you enter the number 123, the program will output:
Enter a decimal number: 123
Octal number: 173

Conclusion

It is concluded that there are several methods in Java for converting a decimal integer to its octal counterpart. The use of Integer.toOctalString() method to change a decimal integer into a string that represents its octal counterpart is considered as the best approach.

Another methods is to divide a number using the% operator, calculate the residual, and then concatenate the result to create the octal number backwards.