What are the steps to convert
0 - 1000 1100 - 111 1000 0000 0000 0101 0000, 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:
1000 1100
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
111 1000 0000 0000 0101 0000
2. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
1000 1100(2) =
1 × 27 + 0 × 26 + 0 × 25 + 0 × 24 + 1 × 23 + 1 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
128 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 0 =
128 + 8 + 4 =
140(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 = 140 - 127 = 13
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 1000 0000 0000 0101 0000(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 1 × 2-2 + 1 × 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 + 1 × 2-17 + 0 × 2-18 + 1 × 2-19 + 0 × 2-20 + 0 × 2-21 + 0 × 2-22 + 0 × 2-23 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.062 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 007 629 394 531 25 + 0 + 0.000 001 907 348 632 812 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 =
0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + 0.062 5 + 0.000 007 629 394 531 25 + 0.000 001 907 348 632 812 5 =
0.937 509 536 743 164 062 5(10)
= 15 872.078 125
0 - 1000 1100 - 111 1000 0000 0000 0101 0000, a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point representation standard to a decimal number, written in base ten (float) = 15 872.078 125(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.