HP HP-16C User Manual

Appendix D
Programs for Format Conversion
Different computing machines use various formats for repre-
senting numbers. Consequently, it is often necessary to convert
numbers from one format to another. This appendix provides two
programs to convert numbers between the proposed IEEE
standard floating-point binary format and the floating-point
decimal format used in the HP-16C. *
Formats
The proposed IEEE single-precision, floating-point binary format
is:
S e f
31 30 23 22 0
in a 32-bit format with 1-bit sign s,
8-bit biased exponent e, and
23-bit fraction f.
The value v of a number x (the contents of the X-register) is
interpreted as follows:
(a) Ife=255andf+#0, then v=NaN (not a number).
(b) Ife=255andf=0, thenv=(-1)%0.
(c) If0<e<255 thenv=(-1)2¢12D(1.f).
(d) Ife=0andf#0,thenv=(-1)*2120(0.f).
(e) Ife=0andf=0,thenv=(-1)50.
In Floating-Point Decimal mode on the HP-16C, the following
conventions are used:
*The standard for the floating-point binary format is a proposal of the IEEE Computer
Society’s Floating-Point Committee, Task 754. It has been set forth in Computer, March
1981, pages H1-62.
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HP HP-16C Specifications

General

Brand	HP
Model	HP-16C
Category	Desktop
Language	English