What are the steps to convert
1 - 1001 1100 - 111 1100 1000 1100 0010 1011, 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:
1001 1100
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
111 1100 1000 1100 0010 1011
2. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
1001 1100(2) =
1 × 27 + 0 × 26 + 0 × 25 + 1 × 24 + 1 × 23 + 1 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
128 + 0 + 0 + 16 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 0 =
128 + 16 + 8 + 4 =
156(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 = 156 - 127 = 29
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 1100 1000 1100 0010 1011(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 1 × 2-2 + 1 × 2-3 + 1 × 2-4 + 1 × 2-5 + 0 × 2-6 + 0 × 2-7 + 1 × 2-8 + 0 × 2-9 + 0 × 2-10 + 0 × 2-11 + 1 × 2-12 + 1 × 2-13 + 0 × 2-14 + 0 × 2-15 + 0 × 2-16 + 0 × 2-17 + 1 × 2-18 + 0 × 2-19 + 1 × 2-20 + 0 × 2-21 + 1 × 2-22 + 1 × 2-23 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.062 5 + 0.031 25 + 0 + 0 + 0.003 906 25 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 244 140 625 + 0.000 122 070 312 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 003 814 697 265 625 + 0 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0 + 0.000 000 238 418 579 101 562 5 + 0.000 000 119 209 289 550 781 25 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.062 5 + 0.031 25 + 0.003 906 25 + 0.000 244 140 625 + 0.000 122 070 312 5 + 0.000 003 814 697 265 625 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0.000 000 238 418 579 101 562 5 + 0.000 000 119 209 289 550 781 25 =
0.973 027 586 936 950 683 593 75(10)
= -1 059 261 120
1 - 1001 1100 - 111 1100 1000 1100 0010 1011, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to a decimal number, written in base ten (float) = -1 059 261 120(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.