Octal Number System — Practical Advantage Which statement best describes the common advantage of using octal notation in digital electronics and computer systems?

Introduction / Context:
Octal (base 8) representation is an older but still instructive shorthand for binary data. It maps cleanly to binary because 8 equals 2^3, so every octal digit corresponds to exactly three binary bits, making manual conversion fast and reducing transcription errors.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Octal base is 8.
• Each octal digit maps to three binary bits.
• Use in contexts such as permissions, older instruction sets, and compact notations.

Concept / Approach:
Shorthand bases that align with powers of two compress long binary strings while preserving easy mental conversion. Because each octal digit is three bits, grouping is straightforward and reduces mistakes compared with writing long runs of 0s and 1s.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Recognize mapping: 0..7 maps to 000..111.2) Conversion method: split a binary string into 3-bit groups from the right and convert each to an octal digit.3) This direct grouping accelerates reading, writing, and checking values.4) Hence octal simplifies tasks and saves time compared to raw binary.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare with hexadecimal which uses groups of 4 bits; both are efficient. Octal is historically popular in systems with word sizes that are multiples of 3 bits.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• simplifies tasks: Incomplete; ignores time benefit.
• groups binary numbers in groups of 4: That describes hexadecimal, not octal.
• saves time: True but incomplete without the simplification rationale.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing octal with hex grouping size; forgetting to pad the leftmost group with leading zeros to make three bits.

Final Answer:
simplifies tasks and saves time