Normalizing Floating Point Numbers
Floating point numbers are usually shown in normalized form. A normalized number has only one digit before the decimal point (a hidden number 1 is assumed before the decimal point).
To normalize a given floating point number, we have to move the decimal point repeatedly one digit to the left and increase the exponent after each move.
Some examples follow.
Converting a Decimal Number into Floating Point
To convert a given decimal number into floating point, carry out the following steps:
• Write the number in binary.
• Normalize the number.
• Find the mantissa and the exponent.
• Write the number as a floating point number. Some examples follow:
