<P> A simple method to add floating - point numbers is to first represent them with the same exponent . In the example below, the second number is shifted right by three digits, and one then proceeds with the usual addition method: </P> <P> In detail: </P> <P> This is the true result, the exact sum of the operands . It will be rounded to seven digits and then normalized if necessary . The final result is </P> <P> Note that the lowest three digits of the second operand (654) are essentially lost . This is round - off error . In extreme cases, the sum of two non-zero numbers may be equal to one of them: </P>

The following is a scheme for floating point number representation using 16 bits