< programming > A number representation consisting of a mantissa , M, an exponent , E, and an (assumed) radix (or "base") . The number represented is M*R^E where R is the radix - usually ten but sometimes 2.
Many different representations are used for the mantissa and exponent themselves. The IEEE specify a standard representation which is used by many hardware floating-point systems.
See also floating-point accelerator , floating-point unit .
Normalisation is the process of converting a floating point number into canonical form where any number other than zero has a mantissa whose first digit is non-zero.
Opposite: fixed-point .
(1995-03-21)