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63<a name="Flonums"></a>
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65<p>
66Previous: <a href="Bignums.html#Bignums" accesskey="p" rel="previous">Bignums</a>, Up: <a href="Numbers.html#Numbers" accesskey="u" rel="up">Numbers</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="AS-Index.html#AS-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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69<a name="Flonums-1"></a>
70<h4 class="subsubsection">3.6.2.3 Flonums</h4>
71<a name="index-flonums"></a>
72<a name="index-floating-point-numbers"></a>
73<a name="index-constants_002c-floating-point"></a>
74
75<a name="index-precision_002c-floating-point"></a>
76<p>A <em>flonum</em> represents a floating point number.  The translation is
77indirect: a decimal floating point number from the text is converted by
78<code>as</code> to a generic binary floating point number of more than
79sufficient precision.  This generic floating point number is converted
80to a particular computer&rsquo;s floating point format (or formats) by a
81portion of <code>as</code> specialized to that computer.
82</p>
83<p>A flonum is written by writing (in order)
84</p><ul>
85<li> The digit &lsquo;<samp>0</samp>&rsquo;.
86(&lsquo;<samp>0</samp>&rsquo; is optional on the HPPA.)
87
88</li><li> A letter, to tell <code>as</code> the rest of the number is a flonum.
89<kbd>e</kbd> is recommended.  Case is not important.
90
91<p>On the H8/300 and Renesas / SuperH SH architectures, the letter must be
92one of the letters &lsquo;<samp>DFPRSX</samp>&rsquo; (in upper or lower case).
93</p>
94<p>On the ARC, the letter must be one of the letters &lsquo;<samp>DFRS</samp>&rsquo;
95(in upper or lower case).
96</p>
97<p>On the HPPA architecture, the letter must be &lsquo;<samp>E</samp>&rsquo; (upper case only).
98</p>
99</li><li> An optional sign: either &lsquo;<samp>+</samp>&rsquo; or &lsquo;<samp>-</samp>&rsquo;.
100
101</li><li> An optional <em>integer part</em>: zero or more decimal digits.
102
103</li><li> An optional <em>fractional part</em>: &lsquo;<samp>.</samp>&rsquo; followed by zero
104or more decimal digits.
105
106</li><li> An optional exponent, consisting of:
107
108<ul>
109<li> An &lsquo;<samp>E</samp>&rsquo; or &lsquo;<samp>e</samp>&rsquo;.
110</li><li> Optional sign: either &lsquo;<samp>+</samp>&rsquo; or &lsquo;<samp>-</samp>&rsquo;.
111</li><li> One or more decimal digits.
112</li></ul>
113
114</li></ul>
115
116<p>At least one of the integer part or the fractional part must be
117present.  The floating point number has the usual base-10 value.
118</p>
119<p><code>as</code> does all processing using integers.  Flonums are computed
120independently of any floating point hardware in the computer running
121<code>as</code>.
122</p>
123
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