What are the steps to convert
1 - 1000 0100 - 110 1011 1000 0000 0000 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.
1
The next 8 bits contain the exponent:
1000 0100
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
110 1011 1000 0000 0000 1100
2. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
1000 0100(2) =
1 × 27 + 0 × 26 + 0 × 25 + 0 × 24 + 0 × 23 + 1 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
128 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 4 + 0 + 0 =
128 + 4 =
132(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 = 132 - 127 = 5
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).
110 1011 1000 0000 0000 1100(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 1 × 2-2 + 0 × 2-3 + 1 × 2-4 + 0 × 2-5 + 1 × 2-6 + 1 × 2-7 + 1 × 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 + 0 × 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 + 0.062 5 + 0 + 0.015 625 + 0.007 812 5 + 0.003 906 25 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0.000 000 476 837 158 203 125 + 0 + 0 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.062 5 + 0.015 625 + 0.007 812 5 + 0.003 906 25 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0.000 000 476 837 158 203 125 =
0.839 845 180 511 474 609 375(10)
= -58.875 045 776 367 187 5
1 - 1000 0100 - 110 1011 1000 0000 0000 1100, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to a decimal number, written in base ten (float) = -58.875 045 776 367 187 5(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.