Binary numbers

Question 1

How do you convert a decimal into a normalised floating point number?

Answer 1

1. Multiply the number by positive or negative powers of 2 until it’s between -1 and 1, and record what you multiplied it by
2. Convert the new number into decimal using -1, 2^-1, 2^-2, up to 2^-9
3. Write the result of Step 2 in front of the result of Step 1

Question 2

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using fixed-point binary numbers?

Answer 2

Advantages: Processing is faster, absolute error is consistent

Disadvantages: Limited range and precision due to fixed binary point location

Question 3

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using floating-point binary numbers?

Answer 3

Advantages: Superior range and precision due to flexibility of binary point

Disadvantages: Absolute error varies

Question 4

How do parity bits work?

Answer 4

A parity bit, also known as a check bit, is a single bit that can be appended to a binary string. It is set to either 1 or 0 to make the total number of 1-bits either even (“even parity”) or odd (“odd parity”).

Question 5

How does majority voting work?

Answer 5

When using majority voting, each bit of the data is transmitted multiple times. When the data is received, the most commonly occurring value is taken to be correct. The advantage of majority voting is that data can be corrected