Integer math

The most important thing to keep in mind here is that division of two integers gives an integer:

1/3 = 0, 2/3 = 0, 3/3 = 1, 4/3 = 1, etc.

In particular:

• (T-32.0)*(5/9) always gives zero (because 5/9 = 0)
• (T-32.0)/(9/5) is the same as T-32.0 (because 9/5 = 1)

Integer ranges

• An unsigned -bit integer can represent values from 0 to (inclusive).
• A signed -bit integer can represent values from to (inclusive). [1]
  • The lower bits are an unsigned -bit integer, and the highest bit ("sign bit") means "subtract if set".

Example: 8-bit signed integer

In many (but not all) computer systems, a signed char happens to be an 8-bit signed integer.

Real numbers: Floating point representation

• A positive real number x can be written in base-2 as

  x = (1 + M/2^m) * 2^E-b,

  where M and E are unsigned integers, m is the number of bits in M, and b is a constant integer.

• Add a sign bit, and let M=E=0 be a special case for zero, and we have ourselves a "floating point" representation of real numbers.

• The representation is exact if x doesn't need any bits in M below a certain point. Example: x = 1.875 = 15.0/8.0.

• The representation can only be approximate if x doesn't nicely turn into a short binary fraction. Example: x = 0.2 = 1.0/5.0.

Real number math

Math with real numbers (i.e., floating point) works "as you'd expect":

1.0/4.0 = 0.25, 1.0/3.0 = 0.33333333333333331, 1.0/5.0 = 0.20000000000000001

The most important point to keep in mind is if you want to do real number math with a constant that happens to be an integer, just put in a decimal point.

In particular, if you're converting Fahrenheit to Celsius:

• (T-32.0)*(5./9.) does what you want.
• (T-32.0)/(9./5.) also does what you want.

They give very slightly different answers for T=55 because neither 5./9. or 9./5. is exactly an integer divided by a power of two.