How are colours typically represented in computer systems?

In computer systems, colors are often represented using hexadecimal numbers, particularly in formats like HTML and CSS. The hexadecimal system allows a more compact representation of binary values, where each color is defined by three primary components: red, green, and blue (RGB). Each color component can take a value from 0 to 255, which translates to two hexadecimal digits. For instance, pure red is represented as #FF0000, where 'FF' in hexadecimal is 255 in decimal, indicating full intensity of red, and '00' represents no green and blue.

Using hexadecimal is advantageous because it provides a clearer and more concise way to represent color values compared to binary, which would be longer and less readable. Decimal numbers can represent color values as well, but hexadecimal aligns better with the underlying binary representation used in computing. Likewise, octal numbers are less commonly used in color representation due to their less direct relationship with the RGB model.