How is a MAC Address typically represented?

A MAC address is typically represented as a 48-bit number in hexadecimal format. This representation is widely used because it is both compact and easy to read compared to other formats, such as binary or decimal. A MAC address consists of six pairs of hexadecimal digits, where each pair corresponds to an 8-bit segment of the 48 bits.

Hexadecimal notation allows for a more efficient use of space, as a single hexadecimal digit can represent four bits, meaning two hexadecimal digits are needed to represent one byte (or 8 bits). Therefore, when displayed, the MAC address may look like "00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E", clearly delineating each byte.

Other formats mentioned, such as a binary string or decimal number, are less common for practical use in networking, mainly due to readability and conciseness. A 64-bit binary expression is also irrelevant when discussing MAC addresses, as they adhere strictly to the 48-bit format for Ethernet and other networking technologies.