Unum (number format)

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Unums (universal numbers[1]) are a family of formats and arithmetic, similar to floating point, proposed by John L. Gustafson in 2015.[2] They are designed as an alternative to the ubiquitous IEEE 754 floating-point standard. The latest version (known as posits[3]) can be used as a drop-in replacement for programs that do not depend on specific features of IEEE 754.


Type I Unum[edit]

The first version of unums, formally known as Type I unum, was introduced in Gustafson's book The End of Error as a superset of the IEEE-754 floating-point format.[2] The defining features of the Type I unum format are: