Chapter 2

Data Representation
PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

2.1 Decimal and Binary Representa6on

o The number system we normally use is the decimal
system.
o It uses 10 as the base.
o But a number system can use any base.
o Computers work with the binary system (base 2).
o Other systems used with computers are octal (base 8) and
hexadecimal (base 16).
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Bases and Exponents

Any number squared means that number Rmes itself.
Example: 10 is the base and 2 is the exponent:
102 = 10*10 = 100
When a number is raised to a posiRve integer power, it is mulRplied by itself that number of Rmes.
Example: the base is 5 and the exponent is 6:
56 = 5*5*5*5*5*5 = 15,625
ExcepRon 1: When a non-zero number is raised to the power of 0, the result is always 1.
5,3450 = 1
40 = 1
(31)0 = 1
ExcepRon 2: 00 is undened

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The Decimal System

The rst eight columns of the decimal system
107

106

10,000,000 1,000,000

ten-millions

millions

105

104

103

102

101

100

100,000

10,000

1,000

100

10

tens

ones

hundred-
thousands

ten-thousands thousands hundreds

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Expanded Nota6on
The ten digits that are used in the decimal system are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Any number in the decimal system can be wriben as a sum of each digit mulRplied by
the value of its column. This is called expanded nota9on.
The number 6,825 in the decimal system actually means:
5*100 = 5*1

+ 2*101 = 2*10

20

+ 8*102 = 8*100

800

+ 6*103 = 6*1,000

6,000
6,825

Therefore, 6,825 can be expressed as: 6*103 + 8*102 + 2*101 + 5*100

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The Binary System

The binary system follows the same rules as the decimal system.
The dierence is that the binary system uses a base of 2 and has only two digits (0 and
1).
The rightmost column of the binary system is the ones column (20). It can contain a 0
or a 1.
The next number aeer one is two; in binary, a two is represented by a 1 in the twos
column (21) and a 0 in the ones column (20)
one-hundred in decimal is represented by a 1 in the one-hundreds (102) column
and 0s in the tens column (101) and the ones column (100)
in binary, a 1 in the 22s column represents the number 4; i.e. 100

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The Binary System

The rst eight columns of the binary system
Power of 2
Decimal value
Binary representa9on

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

128

64

32

16

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Conver6ng the Decimal Number 2910 to Binary

29 is less than 32 but greater than 16 so put a 1 in the 16s (24) column.
29 16 = 13

13 is less than 16 but greater than 8 so put a 1 in the eights (23) column
13 8 = 5
5 is less than 8 but greater than 4 so put a 1 in the fours (22) column
5 4 = 1
1 is less than 2 so there is nothing in the twos (21) column
Put a 0 in the twos column
You have 1 lee so put a 1 in the ones (20) column
Therefore, 2910 = 111012

Power of 2

25

24

23

22

21

20

Decimal value

32

16

Binary representa9on

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Conver6ng the Decimal Number 17210 to Binary

There is one 128 in 172 so put a 1 in the 128s (27) column

172 128 = 44
44 is less than 64 so put a 0 in the 64s (26) column

44 is less than 64 but greater than 32 so put a 1 in the 32s (25) column
44 32 = 12
12 is less than 16 but greater than 8 so put a 0 in the 16s (24) column and a 1 in the eights (23)
column
12 8 = 4
Put a 1 in the fours (22) column
4 4 = 0
Put 0s in the last two columns

Power of 2
Decimal value
Binary
representa9on

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

128

64

32

16

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Conver6ng Binary to Decimal

To convert a binary number back to decimal, just add the value of each binary
column.

Convert the binary number 10112 to decimal

o There is a 1 in the ones column

o There is a 1 in the twos column so the value of that column is 2
o There is a 0 in the fours column so the value of that is 0
o There is a 1 in the eights column so the value of that column is 8
1 + 2 + 0 + 8 = 11
o Therefore, 10112 = 1110

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Convert the Binary Number 101010102 to Decimal

There is a 0 in the ones column
There is a 1 in the twos column so the value of that column is 2
There is a 0 in the fours column so the value of that is 0
There is a 1 in the eights column so the value of that column is 8
There is a 0 in the 16s column
There is a 1 in the 32s column so the value of that column is 32
There is a 0 in the 64s column
There is a 1 in the 128s column so the value of that column is 128
0 + 2 + 0 + 8 + 0 + 32 + 0 + 128 = 170
Therefore, 101010102 = 17010

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2.2 The Hexadecimal System

The hexadecimal system uses a base of 16.
there is a ones column (160)
a 16s column (161)
a 256s column (162)
a 4,096s column (163)
a 65,536s column (164)
and so forth

Rarely need to deal with anything larger than the 164s column.
The hexadecimal system makes it easier for humans to read binary notaRon.

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The Hexadecimal System

The rst ve columns of the hexadecimal system
Hexadecimal
column

Decimal
equivalent

164

163

162

161

160

16*16*16*16

16*16*16

16*16

16

65,536

4,096

256

16

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Hexadecimal Digits
oThe decimal system uses 10 digits (0 through 9) in each column (base 10)
oThe binary system uses two digits (0 and 1) in each column (base 2)
oThe hexadecimal system uses 16 digits in each column (base 16)
oHow can you represent 10 in the ones column in base 16?
o no way to disRnguish ten (wriben as 10) from sixteen (also wriben as 10 a one in the 16s column
and a zero in the ones column)
o Use uppercase lebers to represent the digits 10 through 15
o hexadecimal digits are 0 through 9 and A through F

1010 is represented as A16

1110 is represented as B16
1210 is represented as C16
1310 is represented as D16
1410 is represented as E16
1510 is represented as F16

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Conver6ng the Decimal Number 2310 to Hexadecimal

There is one 16 in 2310 so put a 1 in the 16s column

23 16 = 7 so put a 7 in the 1s column

Therefore, 2310

= 1716
Power of 16

163

Decimal value 4096

162

161

160

256

16

Hexadecimal representa9on

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Conver6ng the Decimal Number 87510 to Hexadecimal

875 is less than 4,096 but greater than 256 so there is nothing in the 4,096s (163) column
Divide 875 by 256 to see how many 256s there are
875 256 = 3 with a remainder of 107
Put a 3 in the 256s column
107 16 = 6 with a remainder of 11
Put a 6 in the 16s column
11 in decimal notaRon = B in hexadecimal notaRon
Put a B in the ones column
Power of 16
Therefore, 87510 = 36B16

163

Decimal value 4096

Hexadecimal representa9on

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162

161

160

256

16

Conver6ng the Hexadecimal Number 123D16 to Decimal

In expanded notaRon, this hexadecimal number is:

(1*4096) + (2*256) + (3*16) + (D*1)

D in hexadecimal is 13 in decimal, so:
4096 + 512 + 48 + 13 = 4669
Therefore, 123D16 = 466910
Power of 16

163

Decimal value 4096

Hexadecimal representa9on

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162

161

160

256

16

Using Hexadecimal Nota6on

No9ce:

Decimal

Binary

Hexadecimal

Decimal

Binary

Hexadecimal

0000

1000

0001

1001

0010

10

1010

0011

11

1011

0100

12

1100

0101

13

1101

0110

14

1110

0111

15

1111

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Using Hexadecimal Nota6on

It is common to write a long binary number in hexadecimal notaRon.
The 15 hexadecimal digits represent all combinaRons of a 4-bit binary number.
Convert the following binary number to hexadecimal notaRon:
11101010000011112
1. Separate the binary number into sets of 4 digits:

1110 1010 0000 1111
2. Refer to the table, if necessary, to make the conversions

11102 = E16
10102 = A16
00002 = 016
11112 = F16
Therefore, 11101010000011112 is EA0F16

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2.3 Integer Representa6on

How computers process numbers depends on each numbers
type.
Integers are stored and processed in quite a dierent manner
from oa9ng point numbers.
Even within the broad categories of integers and oaRng point
numbers, there are more disRncRons.
Integers can be stored as unsigned numbers (all nonnegaRve) or
as signed numbers (posiRve, negaRve, and zero).
FloaRng point numbers also have several variaRons.
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Unsigned Integer Format

A computer processes informaRon in the form of bytes.
Bytes are normally 8 to 16 bits.
To store 112 and 1011012 both must have the same
length as a byte.
Do this by adding 0s to the lee of the number to ll up as
many places as needed for a byte.
This is called the unsigned form of an integer.
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Unsigned Binary Integers

Store the decimal integer 510 in an 8-
bit memory locaRon:
Convert 510 to binary: 1012
Add ve 0s to the lee to make 8 bits:
000001012

Store the decimal integer 92810 in a

16-bit memory locaRon:
Convert 92810 to binary:
11101000002
Add six 0s to the lee to make 16 bits:
00000011101000002

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Overow
If you try to store an unsigned integer that is bigger than the maximum unsigned
value that can be handled by that computer, you get a condiRon called
overow.
Store the decimal integer 2310 in a 4-bit memory locaRon:
range of integers available in 4-bit locaRon is 010 through 1510
Therefore, abempRng to store 2310 in a 4-bit locaRon gives an overow.
Store the decimal integer 65,53710 in a 16-bit memory locaRon:
range of integers available in 16-bit locaRon is 010 through 6553510
Therefore, abempRng to store this number in a 16-bit locaRon gives an
overow.
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Range of Unsigned Integers

Number of Bits

Range

0...255

16

0...65,535

32

0...4,294,967,295

64

0...18,446,740,000,000,000,000 (approximate)

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Sign-and-Magnitude Format
The simple method to convert a decimal integer to binary works well
to represent posiRve integers and zero.
We need a way to represent negaRve integers.
The sign-and-magnitude format is one way.
The leemost bit is reserved to represent the sign.
The other bits represent the magnitude (or the absolute value) of
the integer.

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Store the decimal integer +2310 in an 8-bit memory loca6on using

sign-and-magnitude format
Convert 2310 to binary: 101112
Since this is an 8-bit memory locaRon, 7 bits are used to store the magnitude of
the number.
101112 uses 5 bits so add two 0s to the lee to make up 7 bits: 00101112
Finally, look at the sign. This number is posiRve so add a 0 in the leemost place
to show the posiRve sign.
Therefore, +2310 in sign-and-magnitude format in an 8-bit locaRon is
000101112

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Store the decimal integer -1910 in a 16-bit memory loca6on using

sign-and-magnitude format
Convert 1910 to binary: 100112
Since this is a 16-bit memory locaRon, 15 bits are used to store the magnitude
of the number.
100112 uses 5 bits so add ten 0s to the lee to make up 15 bits:
0000000000100112
Finally, look at the sign. This number is negaRve so add a 1 in the leemost place
to show the negaRve sign.
Therefore, -1910 in sign-and-magnitude format in an 8-bit locaRon is
10000000000100112

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The Problem of the Zero

(a) Store the decimal integer 010 in an 8-bit memory loca9on using sign-and-magnitude format:
Convert 010 to binary: 02
Since this is an 8-bit memory locaRon, 7 bits are used to store the magnitude of the number.
The number 02 uses 1 bit so add six 0s to the lee to make up 7 bits: 00000002
Look at the sign. Zero is considered a non-negaRve number so you should add a 0 in the leemost
place to show that it is not negaRve.
Therefore, 010 in sign-and-magnitude in an 8-bit locaRon is: 000000002
(b) ... but...given that 100000002 is an 8-bit binary integer in sign-and-magnitude form, nd its
decimal value:
First convert the rightmost 7 bits to decimal to get 010
Look at the leemost bit; it is a 1. So the number is negaRve.
Therefore, 100000002 represents the decimal integer 010

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Ones Complement Format

The fact that 0 has two possible representaRons in sign-and-magnitude format is one of the main reasons
why computers usually use a dierent method to represent signed integers.
There are two other formats that may be used to store signed integers.
The ones complement method is not oeen used, but it is explained here because it helps in understanding
the most common format: twos complement.
To complement a binary digit, you simply change a 1 to a 0 or a 0 to a 1.
In the ones complement method, posiRve integers are represented as they would be in sign-and-
magnitude format. The leemost bit is sRll reserved as the sign bit.

+610, in a 4-bit allocaRon, is sRll 01102

In ones complement, 610 is just the complement of +610

610 becomes 10012

The range of ones complement integers is the same as the range of sign-and-magnitude integers.
BUT there are sRll two ways to represent the zero.

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Store the decimal integer -3710 in an 8-bit memory

loca6on using ones complement format
Convert 3710 to binary: 1001012
Since this is an 8-bit memory locaRon, 7 bits are used to store the magnitude
The number 1001012 uses 6 bits so add one 0 to the lee to make up 7 bits:
01001012
This number is negaRve. Complement all the digits by changing all the 0s to 1s and all the 1s to
0s
Add a 1 in the 8th bit locaRon because the number is negaRve
Therefore, 3710 in ones complement in an 8-bit locaRon is 110110102

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Conver6ng Ones Complement to

Decimal
To convert a ones complement number back to decimal:
Look at the leemost bit to determine the sign.
If the leemost bit is 0, the number is posiRve and can be converted back to
decimal immediately.
If the leemost bit is a 1, the number is negaRve.
Un-complement the other bits (change all the 0s to 1s and all the 1s to 0s)
then convert the binary bits back to decimal
Remember to include the negaRve sign when displaying the result!

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The Problem of the Zero Again

a) Store the decimal integer 010 in an 8-bit memory loca9on using ones complement format:

Convert 010 to binary: 02

Since this is an 8-bit memory locaRon, 7 bits are used to store the magnitude
The number 02 uses 1 bit so add six 0s to the lee to make up 7 bits: 00000002
Zero is considered non-negaRve so add a 0 in the leemost place
Therefore, 010 in ones complement in an 8-bit locaRon is 000000002
(b) but... given that 111111112 is a binary number in ones complement form, nd its decimal value:

Look at the leemost bit. It is a 1 so you know the number is negaRve

Since the leemost bit is 1, all the other bits have been complemented.
un-complement them to nd the magnitude of the number.
When you un-complement 11111112, you get 00000002
Therefore, 111111112 in ones complement represents the decimal integer 010

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Why the Fuss About Nothing?

Why is there so much fuss about the zero?
Why not just dene zero in binary as 00002 (or 000000002 or
00000000000000002) and be done with it?
In a 4-bit allocaRon, the bit-pabern 11112 sRll exists. Unless the computer knows
what to do with it, the program will get an error. It might even not work at all.
One possible scenario: If the result of a calculaRon using ones complement was
11112, the computer would read this as 0. If you then tried to add 1 to it, what
would the answer be?
The number that follows 11112 in a 4-bit allocaRon is 00002.
That would mean, using ones complement, that 0 + 1 = +0. This certainly
would not be an irrelevant issue!

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Twos Complement Integers

To nd the twos complement of an X-bit number:
1. If the number is posiRve, just convert the decimal integer to binary
and you are nished.
2. If the number is negaRve, convert the number to binary and nd
the ones complement.
3. Add a binary 1 to the ones complement of the number.
4. If this results in an extra bit (more than X bits), discard the leemost
bit.

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Rules of Binary Addi6on

Rule

1 + 0 = 1

1 + 1 = 10
1 0

Example 1

Example 2

1
+

1 1

1 0

1 0 1

1 1

1 0

1 1 1
1 0 0
Example 3

1
1 0 1

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1
1 0 0
1 0 1

1
1 1 0

Finding the Twos Complement of 8-bit Binary Integers

Find the twos complement of +4310
as an 8-bit binary integer:

Find the twos complement of 4310 as an 8-bit binary integer:

Convert 4310 to binary: 1010112

Add zeros to the lee to complete 8 bits: 00101011

Add zeros to the lee to complete 8

bits: 00101011
Since this is already a posiRve
integer, you are nished.

Convert 4310 to binary: 1010112

Since the number is negaRve, do the ones complement to get:
11010100
Now add binary 1 to this number:
11010100
+

11010101
Therefore, 4310 in twos complement in an 8-bit locaRon is
11010101

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Carrying the 1 With Binary Addi6on

Find the twos complement of 2410 as an 8-bit binary integer:
Convert 2410 to binary: 110002
Add zeros to the lee to complete 8 bits: 00011000
Since the number is negaRve, do the ones complement to get:
11100111
Now add binary 1 to this number:
11100111
+
1
11101000
Therefore, 2410 in twos complement in an 8-bit locaRon is 11101000

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When the Twos Complement Cannot Be

Done
Find the twos complement of 15910 as an 8-bit binary integer:
Convert 15910 to binary: 100111112
10011111 already takes up 8 bits so there is nothing lee for the sign
bit
Therefore, 15910 cannot be represented as a twos complement
binary number in an 8-bit locaRon.

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The Zero Solu6on

a. Find the twos complement of +010 as an 8-bit binary integer:
Convert 010 to 8-bit binary: 000000002
The number is posiRve so nothing more needs to be done
Therefore, +0 in twos complement in an 8-bit locaRon is 00000000
b. Find the twos complement of 010 as an 8-bit binary integer:
Convert 010 to 8-bit binary: 000000002
Since the number is negaRve, do the ones complement to get: 11111111
Now add binary 1 to this number: 11111111
+

100000000
Recall that Step 4 in the rules for converRng to twos complement states that, aeer the addiRon of 1 to the ones
complement, any digits to the lee of the maximum number of bits (here, 8 bits) should be discarded. Discard the leemost
1

Therefore, 010 in twos complement in an 8-bit locaRon is 000000002 which is exactly the same as +010

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Why the Method Works

How in the world does ipping digits and then adding 1 somehow end up with the negaRve of the number you
started with?
Example: using a 4-bit allocaRon, since it is easy to manage.
A 4-bit allocaRon allows for 16 binary numbers ranging from 0000 to 1111, or 010 to 1510.
Dene the ip side of any number between 0 and 16 to be 16 minus that number.
using 4 bits, there are 16 possible numbers (010 to 1510), so the ip side of a number between 0 and 16
would be 16 minus that number.
the ip side of 4 is 16 4 = 12.
in twos complement, the negaRve of a number is represented as the ip side of its posiRve value.
using twos complement notaRon, a 310 is represented as the ip side of +310.
In a 4-bit locaRon, this would be 16 3 = 13. In an 8-bit locaRon, this would be 256 3 = 253
because 28 = 256.
In mathemaRcal terms, this can be expressed as follows (assuming an X-bit memory allocaRon):

For a number, N, the twos complement is:

2X |N| where |N| denotes the absolute value of N

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2.4 Floa6ng Point Representa6on

All oaRng point numbers have both an integer part and a fracRonal
part, even if that fracRonal part is 0.
Note: 6 is an integer but 6.0 is a oaRng point number

To represent a oaRng point number in binary:

divide the number into its parts:
the sign (posiRve or negaRve)
the whole number (integer) part
the frac9onal part

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The Integer Part

A specic bit is set aside to denote the sign.
To convert the integer part to binary, simply convert the same way you
convert posiRve integers to binary.
The integer part of a oaRng point binary number is separated from the
fracRonal part.
The dot (or period) between the integer and fracRonal parts of a binary
number will be referred to as a point.
The point is, in eect, a binary point
it does the same thing as a decimal point in the decimal system.

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The Frac6onal Part

We know that the columns in the integer part of a binary number represent
powers of 2.

The rst column, 20 is the ones column; the second column, 21 is the twos column; and so
on.

We can think of the fracRonal part in similar terms.

The decimal number 0.1 represents 1/10 , the decimal number 0.01 represents 1/100 and
so on.
As the denominators get smaller, each decimal place is 10 raised to the next power.
In decimal notaRon: 1/101, 1/102, 1/103, etc.
Also can be represented as 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, etc.

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Frac6onal Part of the Binary System

The rst six columns of the frac9onal part of a number in the binary system

0.1
1/21

0.01
=

1/22 =

0.001
1/23 =

0.0001

0.00001

1/24 = 2 1/25 = 25

0.000001
1/26= 26

21

22

23

0.5

0.25

0.125

0.0625

0.03125

0.015625

halves

fourths

eighths

sixteenths

thirty-seconds

sixty-fourths

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Conver6ng a Decimal Frac6on to Binary

1.
2.

How many bits are allowed for the fracRonal part of a given number?
Create a chart:
Binary
21
22
23
24

25

26

Decimal

0.5

0.25

0.125

0.0625

0.03125

0.015625

Conversion

3. As you work, you can ll in the boxes in the third row.

4. If the number is equal to or greater than 0.5, put a 1 in the 21 column. Otherwise put a 0 in
the 21 column. Then subtract 0.5 from the decimal number. If the result is 0, you are done.
5. If the result is equal to or greater than 0.25, put a 1 in the 22 column. Then subtract 0.25
from the decimal number. If the result is 0, you are done.
6. If the result of your subtracRon is less than 0.25, put a 0 in the 22 column. Look at the next
column. If your number is less than 0.125, put a 0 in the 23 column
7. Repeat with each subsequent column unRl the subtracRon either gives a result of 0 or unRl you
reach the end of the bits required.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Convert the Decimal Number 0.4 to a 6-bit Binary Number

This number is less than 0.5, so put a 0 in the 21 column
The number is greater than 0.25, so put a 1 in the 22 column, then subtract: 0.4 0.25 = 0.15
0.15 is greater than 0.125, so put a 1 in the 23 column and subtract: 0.15 0.125 = 0.025
0.025 is less than the next column, 0.0625, so put a 0 in the 24 column
0.025 is less than the next column, 0.03125, so put a 0 in the 25 column
0.025 is greater than the next column, 0.015625, so put a 1 in the 26 column
Even though there is a remainder when you subtract 0.025 0.015625 = 0.009375, you do not need to
do anything more because the problem specied that only 6 bits are needed
0.4 in decimal = 0.011001 in a 6-bit binary representaRon

Binary

21

22

23

24

25

26

Decimal

0.5

0.25

0.125

0.0625

0.03125

0.015625

Conversion

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

PuYng the Two Parts Together:

Store the Decimal Number 75.804 as a Binary Number
1. Convert 75 to binary: 1001011
2. Convert 0.804 to binary:
oPut a 1 in the 21 column and subtract: 0.804 0.5 = 0.304
oPut a 1 in the 22 column and subtract: 0.304 0.25 = 0.054
oPut a 0 in the 23 column.
oPut a 0 in the 24 column.
oYou do not need to do anything more because
the problem specied that only 4 bits are needed
for the fracRonal part.

Binary

21

22

23

24

Decimal

0.5

0.25

0.125

0.0625

Conversion

Therefore, 75.80410 = 101011.11002

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

2.5 PuYng It All Together

Just converRng a decimal oaRng point number to binary
representaRon isnt enough.
There are several concepts to understand before seeing how a
oaRng point number is actually represented inside the computer.
While you will probably use a calculator for conversions, it is
valuable to understand the process and will prove helpful when
wriRng programs.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Scien6c Nota6on
Computers are used for many scienRc applicaRons which oeen use very large or very
small numbers.
Example: the distance from Earth to our nearest star is 24,698,100,000,000 miles. We
would need a 49-digit binary number to represent this in a computer.
Example: The diameter of an atom would require at least a 30-digit binary number.
Humans deal with these almost-impossible-to-read numbers with scien9c nota9on.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Examples of Scien6c Nota6on

In scien9c nota9on, a given number is wriben as a number between 1 and 9 mulRplied by the
appropriate power of 10.
Examples:
680,000 = 6.8105
1,502,000,000 = 1.502109
8,938,000,000,000 = 8.9381012
0.068 = 6.8102
0.00001502 = 1.502105
0.000000000008938 = 8.9381012

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Exponen6al Nota6on
In programming, instead of wriRng 10power, we use the leber E followed by the given power. This is
called exponen9al nota9on. NoRce, you must include the sign of the exponent.
Examples:
680,000 = 6.8E+5
1,502,000,000 = 1.502E+9
8,938,000,000,000 = 8.938E+12
0.068 = 6.8E-2
0.00001502 = 1.502E-5
0.000000000008938 = 8.938E-12

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Conver6ng a Number from Exponen6al Nota6on

to Ordinary Nota6on
Move the decimal point the number of places indicated by the integer following E
Examples:
Given 1.67E4
write 1.67 and move the decimal point 4 places to the lee, lling in 3 zeros
before 1
This gives 0.000167
Given 4.2E+6
move the decimal point 6 places to the right, lling in 5 zeros to the right of 2
This gives 4200000, or as it is usually wriben, 4,200,000

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Base 10 Normaliza6on
Normalized form is similar to scienRc notaRon.
Each normalized number has two parts: the scaled por9on and the exponen9al
por9on.
In scienRc notaRon, the decimal point was moved so the rst non-zero digit was
immediately to the lee of it.
In normalized form, the decimal is moved so the rst non-zero digit is immediately
to the right of it. The value of the number is always maintained.
To normalize a decimal number, aeer moving the decimal point, the number is
mulRplied by 10 raised to whatever power is necessary to return the number to its
original value.
PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Normalized Decimal Numbers

Number

Scaled Por9on

Exponen9al Por9on

Normalized Form

371.2

0.3712

103

0.3712 103

40.0

0.4

102

0.4 102

0.000038754

0.38754

104

0.38754 104

52389.37

0.5238937

105

0.5238937 105

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Normalizing Binary Floa6ng Point Numbers

The IEEE Standard is the most widely accepted standard for representaRon of
oaRng point numbers in a computer and uses normalized binary numbers.
A normalized binary number consists of three parts:
the sign part
the exponen9al part
the man9ssa.
The manRssa is the binary equivalent to the scaled porRon (as in previous slide)
The Excess_127 system is used to represent the exponenRal porRon

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Excess_127
The Excess_127 system Is used to store the exponenRal value of a normalized binary number.
To represent an 8-bit number in the Excess_127 system:
oAdd 127 to the number
oChange the result to binary
oAdd zeros to the lee to make up 8 bits
Examples:
(a) To represent +910
add 9 + 127 = 136

Convert 136 to binary: 10001000

+910 in Excess_127 is 10001000

(b) To represent 1310

add (13) + 127 = 114
Convert 114 to binary: 01110010
1310 in Excess_127 is 0111001

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Base 2 Normaliza6on
The process is similar to the one followed to normalize a decimal
number.
The point is moved but it is moved so that the rst non-zero
number (a 1) is immediately to the lee of the point.
Then mulRply the number by the power of 2 needed to express the
original value of the number.
Not necessary to worry about the sign of the number since, in
normalized form, the sign bit takes care of this.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Examples

Normalize the Binary Number +10110

Move the point to the lee 4 places to get 1.0110

Since the point was moved 4 places to the lee, the number is then mulRplied by 24 to
get the original number
+10110 in normalized form is 241.0110

Normalize the Binary Number +0.11110011

Move the point to the right 1 place to get 1.1110011

Since the point was moved 1 place to the right, the number needs to be mulRplied by
21 to get the original number
+0.11110011 in normalized form is 211.1110011

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Single Precision Floa6ng Point Numbers

IEEE has dened standards for storing oaRng point numbers. The most common standard is single
precision oaRng point.
In single precision format, a normalized oaRng point number has three parts.
The sign is stored as a single bit
The exponent is stored in 8 bits
The man9ssa is stored in the rest of the bits (23 bits)
Single precision uses 32 bits in total to store one oaRng point number
There is also a double precision representaRon which allows for a much larger range of numbers.
The sign of the number sRll uses one bit
The exponent uses 11 bits
The man9ssa uses 52 bits.
An 11-bit exponent uses the Excess_1023 system and can handle exponents up to 1023
Double precision uses 64 bits in total to store one oaRng point number

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Conver6ng a Decimal Number to Single Precision Floa6ng Point Binary

1.The sign bit:

If the number is posiRve, put a 0 in the leemost bit. If it is negaRve, put a 1 in the leemost bit.

2. Convert the number to binary.

If there is an integer and a fracRonal part, convert the whole number to binary

3. Normalize the number.

Move the point so it is directly to the right of the rst non-zero number.

4. Count the number of places you moved the point. This is your exponent.

If you moved the point to the right, your exponent is negaRve.

If you moved the point to the lee, your exponent is posiRve.

5. The exponent part:

Convert your exponent to a binary number, using the Excess_127 system.

Store this number in the 8 bits to the right of the sign bit.

6. The man9ssa: Use the number from Step 3 is used to nd the manRssa.

When storing the normalized part of the number, the 1 to the le^ of the point is discarded.
Everything to the right of the point is now called the manRssa.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Represent in single precision oa6ng point the normalized number: 29 1.00001011

The sign is negaRve so the leemost bit is a 1
The exponent is 9. Convert this to Excess_127:
Add: (9) + 127 = 118
Convert 118 to binary: 01110110
Store this number in the next 8 bits

The rest of the number is 1.00001011

Discard the leemost 1 (the one to the lee of the point) and store the remainder of the number in the
last 23 bits

This number takes up 8 bits while, in single-precision oaRng point, the manRssa is 23 bits long.
You must add 15 0s at the end to complete 23 bits.
Therefore, 29 1.00001011 as a single-precision oaRng point number is

1 01110110 00001011000000000000000

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Hexadecimal Representa6on
It is much easier to read a hexadecimal number than to read a long string of 0s and 1s.
Single precision oaRng point numbers are oeen changed to hexadecimal.
Its easy to convert binary to hexadecimal:
Divide the binary number into groups of four digits
Convert each group to a single hexadecimal number
Example (from previous slide):

1 01110110 00001011000000000000000

is

BB05800016

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE