1.1 KiB
| id | tags | created | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3wsh |
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Wednesday, March 20, 2024 |
Signed magnitude representation
Summary
Detail
The concept behind SMR is similar to how we designate positive and negative
integers in denary mathematics: we use a dedicated symbol (-) to signpost that
the integer is negative. In the binary application the dedicated symbol is one
of the binary digits that comprise the number.
Typically 0 is used to indicate an unsigned (positive) integer and 1 to
indicate a signed (negative) number. The rest of the bits are the magnitude (the
actual numerical value).
We can demonstrate with an 8-bit binary system, encoding 5: 0000 0101. Here
the furthest bit (aka. the "most significant bit" (MSB)) at the 2^8 position
is 0, designating that the number is unsigned. The signed equivalent is
1000 0101, with the MSB being 1 designating the number as signed. When we
are working with signed numbers, the MSB is known as the signed bit.