A number representATion consisting of a mantissa, M, an exponent, E, and an (assumed) radix (or "base") . The number represented is M*R^E where R is the radix - usually ten but sometimes 2. Many different representATions are used for the mantissa and exponent themselves. The IEEE specify a standard representATion which is used by many hardware floATing-point systems. See also floATing-point accelerATor, floATing-point unit. NormalisATion is the process of converting a floATing point number into canonical form where any number other than zero has a mantissa whose first digit is non-zero. Opposite: fixed-point. (1995-03-21)