IEEE FLOATING POINT Meaning and
Definition
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IEEE Floating Point is a set of standards for representing and performing arithmetic calculations with real numbers in digital computers. It refers specifically to the IEEE 754 Standard for Floating-Point Arithmetic, which was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1985 and has since been widely adopted.
Floating-Point numbers are used to represent real numbers that may have fractional parts or be very large or small in magnitude. The IEEE Floating Point standard defines formats for representing these numbers in binary form, specifying the number of bits allocated to the sign, mantissa or significand, and exponent fields.
The standard also provides rules for performing arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on these floating-point numbers. It defines the rounding modes and precision requirements for these operations, ensuring consistent and accurate results across different computer systems.
IEEE Floating Point offers several benefits, including improved accuracy and portability of computations. It allows for efficient representation and manipulation of real numbers within the constraints of finite computer resources.
However, it is important to note that IEEE Floating Point is not without limitations. The use of a fixed number of bits to represent real numbers inherently introduces some degree of approximation and rounding errors. Therefore, developers need to be cautious when dealing with critical applications where exact precision is required and take into account the limitations of IEEE Floating Point representation.
