SIGNIFICAND Meaning and
Definition
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A significand refers to the part of a floating-point number that represents the precision or magnitude of the number. It is also known as the mantissa or the fraction. In a floating-point representation, a number is often expressed in terms of a significand and an exponent.
The significand typically consists of the fractional part of a number and plays a crucial role in determining the overall value and precision of the floating-point representation. It indicates the significant digits in a number, excluding any leading or trailing zeros. The significand is often normalized, meaning that it is adjusted to have a single non-zero digit before the decimal point. This normalization ensures that the most significant digit is as precise as possible.
The length or precision of the significand varies depending on the floating-point representation being used. In some cases, the significand may have a fixed size, while in others, it may be variable. Precision can be increased by using a larger significand, allowing for a more accurate representation of numbers.
The significand, in combination with the exponent, determines the range and precision of a floating-point number. The significand provides the detailed representation of the number's magnitude, while the exponent scales the value to its appropriate range. Together, they allow floating-point numbers to represent a wide range of values with varying degrees of precision.
Etymology of SIGNIFICAND
The term "significand" originates from a combination of two words: "signify" and "cand".
The verb "signify" comes from the Old French word "signifier", which means "to make known" or "to indicate". It further traces its roots back to the Latin word "significare", where "signum" means "sign" and "ficare" means "to make".
The second component, "cand", is derived from the Latin word "candere", which means "to shine" or "to be bright".
Combining these two elements, "signify" conveys the indication or representation of something, while "cand" implies brightness or prominence. Thus, "significand" refers to the significant or meaningful part of a number in scientific notation or floating-point arithmetic.
