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 |