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MANTISSA => SIGNIFICAND
- To: Walter van Roggen <Walter.VanRoggen@CMU-CS-A> (C410WV50)
- Subject: MANTISSA => SIGNIFICAND
- From: Guy.Steele@CMU-CS-A
- Date: Tue, 07 Jun 1983 02:58:00 -0000
- Cc: common-lisp@SU-AI
- In-reply-to: <06Jun83.181707.WV50@CMU-CS-A>
The reason for not using the term "mantissa" is that in its popular
use in the context of floating-point representations it is a misnomer.
Technically, a a
mantissa is the fractional part of a logarithm. The significand of a floating-
point number is not the fractional part of a logarithm (the exponent),
but a fraction by which the base raised to the exponent must be multiplied.
--Guy
- References:
- Ballot B
- From: Walter van Roggen <Walter.VanRoggen@CMU-CS-A> (C410WV50)