The binary representation of the hexadecimal number $2F$ is $0010\ 1111$.

To convert a hexadecimal number to its binary equivalent, each digit in the hexadecimal format is substituted with its corresponding binary representation. Hexadecimal is a base-16 numbering system, while binary is a base-2 system. In hexadecimal, the digits $0$ through $9$ represent the values $0$ to $9$, and the letters $A$ through $F$ represent the values $10$ to $15$. In binary, these values are expressed using four digits.

The hexadecimal number $2F$ consists of two digits: $2$ and $F$. The binary equivalent of the hexadecimal digit $2$ is $0010$, while the letter $F$ corresponds to the decimal value $15$, which is represented in binary as $1111$. Thus, when we replace each digit of $2F$ with its binary counterpart, we arrive at the binary representation $0010\ 1111$.

This conversion process is quite straightforward because both hexadecimal and binary are positional numeral systems, and $16$ is a power of $2$. This property allows for a direct mapping of each hexadecimal digit to a unique four-digit binary number. This inherent relationship simplifies the conversion process between these two systems, which is particularly useful in computer science. Computers operate using binary to process data, while hexadecimal provides a more compact and human-readable format for representing binary values.