What are the steps to convert
1 - 1100 0000 - 010 0100 0000 0000 0000 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:
1100 0000
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
010 0100 0000 0000 0000 1011
2. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
1100 0000(2) =
1 × 27 + 1 × 26 + 0 × 25 + 0 × 24 + 0 × 23 + 0 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
128 + 64 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 =
128 + 64 =
192(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 = 192 - 127 = 65
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).
010 0100 0000 0000 0000 1011(2) =
0 × 2-1 + 1 × 2-2 + 0 × 2-3 + 0 × 2-4 + 1 × 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 + 1 × 2-20 + 0 × 2-21 + 1 × 2-22 + 1 × 2-23 =
0 + 0.25 + 0 + 0 + 0.031 25 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 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 =
0.25 + 0.031 25 + 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 =
0.281 251 311 302 185 058 593 75(10)
= -47 269 830 067 392 348 160
1 - 1100 0000 - 010 0100 0000 0000 0000 1011, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to a decimal number, written in base ten (float) = -47 269 830 067 392 348 160(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.