What is the hexadecimal format for representing a MAC address?

The hexadecimal format for representing a MAC address is comprised of 6 pairs of characters. Each pair represents an octet (8 bits) of the 48-bit MAC address. Since hexadecimal uses 16 symbols (0-9 and A-F), each character in the pair can represent a value from 0 to 255. Therefore, with 6 pairs, a MAC address can be fully expressed as a sequence of 12 hexadecimal characters.

The structure of a MAC address allows for a standardized way to uniquely identify network interfaces on a local area network. This format ensures that the address is both compact and easily readable, typically displayed with colons or hyphens separating the pairs for clarity.

In other potential choices, the representation of 8 pairs of characters would suggest a format that exceeds the 48 bits required for a standard MAC address. The option of 12 single characters does not indicate that they are grouped into pairs, which is necessary for proper MAC address formatting. Lastly, the format of 4 groups of 4 characters does not apply to MAC addresses, as it does not conform to the standard representation and totals 64 bits instead of the correct length.