Request for Question Clarification by
mathtalk-ga
on
02 Nov 2003 07:40 PST
Hi, bildy-ga:
The way you've structured the question doesn't really provide enough
information to form a precise answer.
Some of the wording you've used has a fairly standard context in the
IEEE floating point format, but in applying it to an unusual format,
you open up the potential for non-standard interpretations.
Consider for example the sign bit. You've implied, perhaps, the order
in which the bits are to appear from left to right (high order to low
order?) by the agreement in breaks between the description of the
format and the example shown. In this respect the position of the
sign bit agrees with that used in the IEEE format, but are we to
assume the interpretation here should be the same for the sign bit as
in the IEEE format? That would appear to be going "out on a limb".
While the IEEE formats use a 0 sign bit for positive numbers and a 1
bit for negative numbers (so that indeed there are distinct
representations for +0 and -0, etc.), it _could_ be defined in a
nonstandard format that the opposite interpretation was to be used.
In brief, since your question makes no mention of the IEEE format, I'd
be uncomfortable assuming that as a reference in trying to answer. If
you could clarify what additional context your question has (such as a
class textbook chapter on IEEE formats), it would be helpful to any
Researcher thinking about your question.
regards, mathtalk-ga
