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From: KFL@MIT-MC.ARPA ("Keith F. Lynch")
Newsgroups: net.lang.ada
Subject: floating point number radix
Message-ID: <[MIT-MC.ARPA].685203.851019.KFL>
Date: Sat, 19-Oct-85 13:50:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: <[MIT-MC.ARPA].685203.851019.KFL>
Posted: Sat Oct 19 13:50:37 1985
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    Date: Fri 18 Oct 85 19:39:57-PDT
    From: Doug Bryan <BRYAN@SU-SIERRA.ARPA>

    [3.5.7(6)]
    The reference manual states that the minimum number of binary digits, B,
    required after the point in the binary mantissa of a floating point
    number is...

    	ceiling (D * ln(10)/ln(2) + 1.0)

    where D is the minimal number of decimal digits in the decimal mantissa.

    Consider D = 3...

    	ceiling (3 * ln(10)/ln(2) + 1.0) = ceiling (10.9657) = 11

    But... is not 10 binary digits sufficient to represent 3 decimal digits?
    		2**(-10) < 10**(-3)
    We think the "+ 1.0" in the above expression can be removed. 

Consider D=2.  2**(-6) > 10**(-2).  The "+ 1.0" should stay.
								...Keith