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 1100
The last 23 bits contain the mantissa:
100 0010 0000 0000 0000 0010
1. 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)
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 = 140 - 127 = 13
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 0010 0000 0000 0000 0010(2) =
1 × 2-1 + 0 × 2-2 + 0 × 2-3 + 0 × 2-4 + 0 × 2-5 + 1 × 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 + 1 × 2-22 + 0 × 2-23 =
0.5 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.015 625 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.000 000 238 418 579 101 562 5 + 0 =
0.5 + 0.015 625 + 0.000 000 238 418 579 101 562 5 =
0.515 625 238 418 579 101 562 5(10)
= -12 416.001 953 125
1 - 1000 1100 - 100 0010 0000 0000 0000 0010 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) = -12 416.001 953 125(10)
Spaces were used to group digits: for binary, by 4, for decimal, by 3.