0410.  How many bits do we need to allocate to each component?

 

The sign is easy: 1-bit

 

However, there are a limited number of bits left which must be distributed to the remaining components. It was quickly discovered that 16-bits was insufficient; the components needed to be stored on 32-bits. A common distribution scheme is:

 

Sign

Characteristic

Mantissa

1-bit

7-bits

24-bits