2

1 In a particular computer system, real numbers are stored using floating-point representation with:

8 bits for the mantissa, followed by

8 bits for the exponent

Twos complement form is used for both mantissa and exponent.

(a) (i) A real number is stored as the following two bytes:

Mantissa Exponent

0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

Calculate the denary value of this number. Show your working.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[3]

(ii) Explain why the floating-point number in part (a)(i) is not normalised.

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[2]

(iii) Normalise the floating-point number in part (a)(i).

Mantissa Exponent

[2]

UCLES 2015 9608/31/O/N/15

 3

(b) (i) Write the largest positive number that can be written as a normalised floating-point
number in this format.

Mantissa Exponent

[2]

(ii) Write the smallest positive number that can be written as a normalised floating-point
number in this format.

Mantissa Exponent

[2]

(iii) If a positive number is added to the number in part (b)(i) explain what will happen.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[2]

(c) A student writes a program to output numbers using the following code:

X 0.0
FOR i 0 TO 1000
X X + 0.1
OUTPUT X
ENDFOR

The student is surprised to see that the program outputs the following sequence:

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.2999999 0.3999999

Explain why this output has occurred.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[3]

UCLES 2015 9608/31/O/N/15 [Turn over

 Page 2 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper
Cambridge International A Level October/November 2015 9608 31

1 (a) (i) 00101000 00000011

=0.0101 2 3 [1]
=10.1 [1]
=2.5 [1]

(ii) For a positive number (mantissa starts with a zero) [1]

bit after binary point (second bit from left) should be a one [1]

(iii) 00101000 00000011

= 01010000 00000010 [1+1]

(b) (i) 01111111 0111111 [1+1]

(ii) 01000000 1000000 [1+1]

(iii) number will become too large to represent [1]

which will result in overflow [1]

(c) Any point 1 mark

0.1 cannot be represented exactly in binary

0.1 represented here by a value just less than 0.1
the loop keeps adding this approximate value to counter
until all accumulated small differences become significant enough to be seen
[max 3]

Cambridge International Examinations 2015

 2

1 In a particular computer system, real numbers are stored using floating-point representation with:

8 bits for the mantissa, followed by

4 bits for the exponent

Twos complement form is used for both mantissa and exponent.

(a) (i) A real number is stored as the following 12-bit binary pattern:

0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

Calculate the denary value of this number. Show your working.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[3]

(ii) Give the normalised binary pattern for +3.5. Show your working.

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.......................................................................................................................................[3]

(iii) Give the normalised binary pattern for 3.5. Show your working.

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...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[3]

UCLES 2015 9608/32/O/N/15

 3

The number of bits available to represent a real number is increased to 16.

(b) (i) If the system were to use the extra 4 bits for the mantissa, state what the effect would be
on the numbers that can be represented.

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[1]

(ii) If the system were to use the extra 4 bits for the exponent instead, state what the effect
would be on the numbers that can be represented.

...........................................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................................[1]

(c) A student enters the following expression into an interpreter:

OUTPUT (0.1 + 0.2)

The student is surprised to see the following output:

0.3000000000000001

Explain why this output has occurred.

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...................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................[3]

UCLES 2015 9608/32/O/N/15 [Turn over

 Page 2 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper
Cambridge International A Level October/November 2015 9608 32

1 (a) (i) 01101000 0011

= 0.1101 (or 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/16) 2
3 [1+1]
= 110.1
= 6.5 [1]

(ii) +3.5
= 11.1 [1]
= 0.111 2
2 (or indication of moving binary point correctly) [1]
= 01110000 0010 [1]

(iii) 01110000 Allow f.t. from (ii)

10001111 Ones complement on mantissa [1]
10001111 +1 Twos complement [1]

= 10010000 0010 [1]

(b) (i) Precision/accuracy of numbers represented will increase [1]

(ii) Range of numbers represented will increase [1]

(c) Any point, 1 mark (max. 3)

0.1/0.2 cannot be represented exactly in binary // rounding error [1]

0.1 represented by a value just greater than 0.1 // 0.2 represented by a value
just greater than 0.2 [1]
adding two representations together adds the two differences [1]
summed difference significant enough to be seen [1]
[max. 3]

[Total: 14]

Cambridge International Examinations 2015

 Most computer systems need to store and process real numbers.

A computer uses two bytes to store a real number.

The first byte (Byte 7) stores the mantissa. The second byte (Byte 8) stores the exponent.

Both mantissa and exponent use twos complement form.

Byte 7 Byte 8

1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1

(i) State, without any working out, how you can recognise that this 16-bit pattern (Byte 7
and Byte 8) is a negative number.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

UCLES 2016 9691/31/M/J/16

 11

(ii) State the denary values for the mantissa and the exponent represented by Byte 7 and
Byte 8.

Mantissa ............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

Exponent ...........................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [2]

(iii) Calculate the denary value represented by Byte 7 and Byte 8.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(e) State how you can recognise that this 16-bit pattern (Byte 7 and Byte 8) is normalised.

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(f) Write the binary patterns for the largest and smallest positive number that can be represented
with this 16-bit format for normalised real numbers.

Smallest

Largest

[2]

UCLES 2016 9691/31/M/J/16 [Turn over

Page 5 Mark Scheme Syllabus Paper
Cambridge International AS Level May/June 2016 9691 31

(d) (i) The mantissa starts with a 1 digit [1]

(ii) Mantissa: 1 + 5/16 // 11/16 // 0.6875

Exponent: 11 [2]

(iii) 11/16 * 2^11 // 11 * 2^7 // 1408 [1]

(e) The mantissa starts with 10 // the first two bits of the mantissa are different [1]

(f) Smallest [1]

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Largest [1]

0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Cambridge International Examinations 2016