wpe41.gif (23084 bytes)CIS3355: Business Data Structures
Fall, 2008
 

How do we determine the range of real numbers ??

It doesn't make sense to talk about the range of real numbers, since we know that between any two real numbers, there are an infinite number of values.

Real numbers are characterized by their level of precision,

NOT

their Range

As we have seen, the scheme we have arrived at allows for 7-digits of precision (and some to 8).

OK - But what is the LARGEST (positive) number we can represent ??

.224 - 1 E +(26 - 1) = .16777215 E +63

= 16,777,215,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0000,000,000,000,000,000

A very large number!!

What is the SMALLEST (positive) number we can represent ??

.1 E -26  = .1 E -64

= 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001

A very large number!!

However, the point to keep in mind is that we can also represent any number in between, BUT ONLY TO 7 DECIMAL POINTS OF PRECISION!!

What if I need real numbers with greater precision or magnitude?

That is our next tutorial.

This page was last updated on 06/01/05