Sign-magnitude Representation
Learn the simplest representation of the signed and unsigned integers in computer memory.
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Ways to use SMR
All numbers in the computer’s memory are represented in binary form. This means that the computer stores them as a sequence of zeros and ones. A number representation defines how to interpret this sequence.
First, we consider the simplest numbers representation that is the sign-magnitude representation or SMR. There are two ways to use it:
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To store positive integers (unsigned).
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To store both positive and negative integers (signed).
Sign-magnitude representation
Unsigned integers
The computer allocates a fixed block of memory for any number. When we apply SMR to store a positive integer, all allocated memory bits are used in the same ...