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 1000
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
100 0100 0001 0000 0010 1000
1. Convert the exponent from binary (from base 2) to decimal (in base 10).
The exponent is allways a positive integer.
1000 1000(2) =
1 × 27 + 0 × 26 + 0 × 25 + 0 × 24 + 1 × 23 + 0 × 22 + 0 × 21 + 0 × 20 =
128 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 8 + 0 + 0 + 0 =
128 + 8 =
136(10)
2. 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 = 136 - 127 = 9
2. 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).
100 0100 0001 0000 0010 1000(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 0 × 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 + 1 × 2-11 + 0 × 2-12 + 0 × 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 + 0 × 2-22 + 0 × 2-23 =
0.5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.031 25 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 488 281 25 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 003 814 697 265 625 + 0 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 + 0 + 0 + 0 =
0.5 + 0.031 25 + 0.000 488 281 25 + 0.000 003 814 697 265 625 + 0.000 000 953 674 316 406 25 =
0.531 743 049 621 582 031 25(10)
= -784.252 441 406 25
1 - 1000 1000 - 100 0100 0001 0000 0010 1000 converted from a 32 bit single precision IEEE 754 binary floating point standard representation number to a decimal system number, written in base ten (float) = -784.252 441 406 25(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.