floating-point arithmetic


floating-point arithmetic

[¦flōd·iŋ ¦pȯint ə′rith·mə·tik] (mathematics) A method of performing arithmetical operations, used especially by automatic computers, in which numbers are expressed as integers multiplied by the radix raised to an integral power, as 87 × 10-4 instead of 0.0087. Also known as floating arithmetic; floating-decimal arithmetic.