Commodore VIC-20 - Numbers and Variables

NUMBERS AND VARIABLES
The numbers printed by VIC 20 are governed by limitations wfthin
their formats. The numbers are stored internally to over ten digits of
accuracy. However, when a number is printed, only nine digits are
displayed. Each number may also have an exponent (a
power-of-ten scalrng factor).
Numbers are used all the time when working with VIC 20. There
are two kinds of numbers that can be stored: floating point numbers
(also called real numbers) and integers.
Floating point is the standard number representation used by the
VIC. The VIC does its arithmetic using floating point numbers. A
floating point number can be a whofe number, a fractional number
preceded by a decimal point, or a combination. The number can be
signed negative (-) or positive (-). If the number has no sign, it is
assumed to be positive.
Consider the following examptes of floating point numbers:
Whole number equivalent to an integer:
5
-15
65000
161
0
Numbers with a decimal point;
0.5
0.0165432
-0.00009
1.6
24.0085
-65.6
3.1416
Notice that if you put a comma in a number and ask the VIC to
assign it to a variable, you will get a Syntax Error message. For
example, you must use 65000, not 65,000.
Numbers always have at least eight digits of precision; they can
have up to nine, depending on the number. The VIC rounds any
additional significant digits, it rounds up when the next digit is five or
more; it rounds down when the nex1 digit is four or less.
Rounding numbers wilt sometimes cause fractional numbers to
look inaccurate. Here are some examples:
54
i