fixed-point

Search:

fixed-point

A number representation scheme where a number R is represented by an integer N such that R=N*B, where B is the (assumed) base of the representation.

On computers with no floating-point unit fixed-point calculations can be significantly faster as all the operations are basically integer operations. Apart from that, fixed-point representation has the advantage of having uniform density, i.e., the smallest resolvable difference of the representation is B throughout the representable range, in sharp contrast to floating-point representations.

(1998-05-18)