<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A computer number format is the internal representation of numeric values in digital computer and calculator hardware and software . Normally, numeric values are stored as groupings of bits, named for the number of bits that compose them . The encoding between numerical values and bit patterns is chosen for convenience of the operation of the computer; the bit format used by the computer's instruction set generally requires conversion for external use such as printing and display . Different types of processors may have different internal representations of numerical values . Different conventions are used for integer and real numbers . Most calculations are carried out with number formats that fit into a processor register, but some software systems allow representation of arbitrarily large numbers using multiple words of memory . </P> <P> Computers represent data in sets of binary digits . The representation is composed of bits, which in turn are grouped into larger sets such as bytes . </P>

The process of representing data in a form that can be understood by a digital computer