What are the steps to convert
0 - 0111 1100 - 111 1110 0000 0000 0100 1100, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to decimal?
1. Identify the elements that make up the binary representation of the number:
The first bit (the leftmost) indicates the sign,
1 = negative, 0 = positive.
0
The next 8 bits contain the exponent:
0111 1100
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
111 1110 0000 0000 0100 1100
2. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
0111 1100(2) =
0 × 27 + 1 × 26 + 1 × 25 + 1 × 24 + 1 × 23 + 1 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
0 + 64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 0 =
64 + 32 + 16 + 8 + 4 =
124(10)
3. Adjust the exponent.
Subtract the excess bits: 2(8 - 1) - 1 = 127,
that is due to the 8 bit excess/bias notation.
The exponent, adjusted = 124 - 127 = -3
4. Convert the mantissa from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The mantissa represents the fractional part of the number (what comes after the whole part of the number, separated from it by a comma).
111 1110 0000 0000 0100 1100(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 1 × 2-2 + 1 × 2-3 + 1 × 2-4 + 1 × 2-5 + 1 × 2-6 + 0 × 2-7 + 0 × 2-8 + 0 × 2-9 + 0 × 2-10 + 0 × 2-11 + 0 × 2-12 + 0 × 2-13 + 0 × 2-14 + 0 × 2-15 + 0 × 2-16 + 1 × 2-17 + 0 × 2-18 + 0 × 2-19 + 1 × 2-20 + 1 × 2-21 + 0 × 2-22 + 0 × 2-23 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.062 5 + 0.031 25 + 0.015 625 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 007 629 394 531 25 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0.000 000 476 837 158 203 125 + 0 + 0 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.062 5 + 0.031 25 + 0.015 625 + 0.000 007 629 394 531 25 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0.000 000 476 837 158 203 125 =
0.984 384 059 906 005 859 375(10)
= 0.248 048 007 488 250 732 421 875
0 - 0111 1100 - 111 1110 0000 0000 0100 1100, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to a decimal number, written in base ten (float) = 0.248 048 007 488 250 732 421 875(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.