A MAC address is written using how many hexadecimal characters?

A MAC address is represented using 12 hexadecimal characters. This is because each pair of hexadecimal characters corresponds to a byte (8 bits), and a MAC address consists of 6 bytes in total. Therefore, when you multiply the 6 bytes by 2 hexadecimal characters per byte, you arrive at 12 hexadecimal characters. Each character can represent values from 0 to F, which allows for the complete range of values necessary in a MAC address. This format is standardized and vital for the unique identification of network interfaces at the data link layer in networking.