What notation is used for an IPv6 address to follow efficiency and simplicity?

The notation used for an IPv6 address that prioritizes efficiency and simplicity is hexadecimal notation. This is because IPv6 addresses are represented as eight groups of four hexadecimal digits, separated by colons. Hexadecimal notation is highly efficient for representing binary data, as each hexadecimal digit corresponds to four binary digits (also known as bits). This compact representation means that what would be a lengthy binary string can be expressed much more concisely, making it easier to read, write, and manage IPv6 addresses.

For example, an IPv6 address like "2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334" is significantly easier to handle than its binary equivalent, which would be a very long string of 1s and 0s. This reduces the likelihood of errors when entering or communicating the addresses.

The other notations such as dotted decimal format and binary representation are used for IPv4 addressing, while octal notation does not commonly apply to IP addressing generally. Thus, hexadecimal notation remains the preferred method for its clear advantages in efficiency and simplicity when it comes to IPv6 addresses.