2. Representing and Manipulating Information

Question 1

How information is represented in modern computers?

Answer 1

Information is represented as 2-value signals, named binary digits or bits.

Question 2

Which are the most important representations of numbers in computers?

Answer 2

There are three:

• Unsigned: representing integers greater than or equal to 0.
• Two’s-complement: representing signed integers.
• Floating-point: base-two version of scientific notation for representing real numbers.

Question 3

Which important observation about the representation of floating-point numbers can’t be forgotten?

Answer 3

Floating-point arithmetic is not associative, due to the finite precision of the representation.