What are the steps to convert
0 - 1010 1010 - 110 1000 0000 0000 0000 0001, 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:
1010 1010
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
110 1000 0000 0000 0000 0001
2. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
1010 1010(2) =
1 × 27 + 0 × 26 + 1 × 25 + 0 × 24 + 1 × 23 + 0 × 22 + 1 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
128 + 0 + 32 + 0 + 8 + 0 + 2 + 0 =
128 + 32 + 8 + 2 =
170(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 = 170 - 127 = 43
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 1000 0000 0000 0000 0001(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 1 × 2-2 + 0 × 2-3 + 1 × 2-4 + 0 × 2-5 + 0 × 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 + 0 × 2-17 + 0 × 2-18 + 0 × 2-19 + 0 × 2-20 + 0 × 2-21 + 0 × 2-22 + 1 × 2-23 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0 + 0.062 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 000 119 209 289 550 781 25 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.062 5 + 0.000 000 119 209 289 550 781 25 =
0.812 500 119 209 289 550 781 25(10)
= 15 942 919 651 328
0 - 1010 1010 - 110 1000 0000 0000 0000 0001, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to a decimal number, written in base ten (float) = 15 942 919 651 328(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.