Xref: utzoo comp.arch:14425 comp.lang.lisp:2869 comp.lang.misc:4343 comp.lang.smalltalk:1737 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!umich!sharkey!tygra!dave From: dave@tygra.UUCP (David Conrad) Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.lang.lisp,comp.lang.misc,comp.lang.smalltalk Subject: Re: heaps of numbers (tagged immediate float formats & float usage) Message-ID: <74@tygra.UUCP> Date: 6 Mar 90 03:01:29 GMT References: <1990Mar5.220724.3718@Neon.Stanford.EDU> <14261@lambda.UUCP> Reply-To: dave@tygra.UUCP (David Conrad) Followup-To: comp.arch Organization: CAT-TALK Conferencing Network, Detroit, MI Lines: 23 > >Exponent range scales as the _LOG_ (base 2) of the number of bits in >the exponent. So, 8 bits gives an exponent range of (about) 2^-127 thru >2^127 - that is, about 10^-39 thru 10^39. A 4 bit exponent only gives >an exponent range of about 2^-15 thru 2^15 - that is, a little more than >10^-5 thru 10^5. > >J. Giles Well, he said he could use as little as 2 bits, so with 6 bits of exponent the range should be 2^63 thru 2^-63 or roughly 10^19 thru 10^-19, probably sufficient for his purposes. -- David R. Conrad dconrad%wayne-mts@um.cc.umich.edu dave%tygra.uucp@sharkey.cc.umich.edu -- = CAT-TALK Conferencing Network, Prototype Computer Conferencing System = - 1-800-825-3069, 300/1200/2400/9600 baud, 8/N/1. New users use 'new' - = as a login id. <>> = E-MAIL Address: dave%tygra.uucp@sharkey.cc.umich.edu