Normalization Functions (The GNU C Library)

#### 20.8.2 Normalization Functions ¶

The functions described in this section are primarily provided as a way to efficiently perform certain low-level manipulations on floating point numbers that are represented internally using a binary radix; see Floating Point Representation Concepts. These functions are required to have equivalent behavior even if the representation does not use a radix of 2, but of course they are unlikely to be particularly efficient in those cases.

All these functions are declared in `math.h`.

Function: `double` frexp `(double value, int *exponent)` ¶
Function: `float` frexpf `(float value, int *exponent)` ¶
Function: `long double` frexpl `(long double value, int *exponent)` ¶
Function: `_FloatN` frexpfN `(_FloatN value, int *exponent)` ¶
Function: `_FloatNx` frexpfNx `(_FloatNx value, int *exponent)` ¶

  Preliminary: | MT-Safe | AS-Safe | AC-Safe | See POSIX Safety Concepts.

  These functions are used to split the number value into a normalized fraction and an exponent.

  If the argument value is not zero, the return value is value times a power of two, and its magnitude is always in the range 1/2 (inclusive) to 1 (exclusive). The corresponding exponent is stored in `*exponent`; the return value multiplied by 2 raised to this exponent equals the original number value.

  For example, `frexp (12.8, &exponent)` returns `0.8` and stores `4` in `exponent`.

  If value is zero, then the return value is zero and zero is stored in `*exponent`.

Function: `double` ldexp `(double value, int exponent)` ¶
Function: `float` ldexpf `(float value, int exponent)` ¶
Function: `long double` ldexpl `(long double value, int exponent)` ¶
Function: `_FloatN` ldexpfN `(_FloatN value, int exponent)` ¶
Function: `_FloatNx` ldexpfNx `(_FloatNx value, int exponent)` ¶

  Preliminary: | MT-Safe | AS-Safe | AC-Safe | See POSIX Safety Concepts.

  These functions return the result of multiplying the floating-point number value by 2 raised to the power exponent. (It can be used to reassemble floating-point numbers that were taken apart by `frexp`.)

  For example, `ldexp (0.8, 4)` returns `12.8`.

The following functions, which come from BSD, provide facilities equivalent to those of `ldexp` and `frexp`. See also the ISO C function `logb` which originally also appeared in BSD. The `_FloatN` and `_FloatN` variants of the following functions come from TS 18661-3:2015.

Function: `double` scalb `(double value, double exponent)` ¶
Function: `float` scalbf `(float value, float exponent)` ¶
Function: `long double` scalbl `(long double value, long double exponent)` ¶

  Preliminary: | MT-Safe | AS-Safe | AC-Safe | See POSIX Safety Concepts.

  The `scalb` function is the BSD name for `ldexp`.

Function: `double` scalbn `(double x, int n)` ¶
Function: `float` scalbnf `(float x, int n)` ¶
Function: `long double` scalbnl `(long double x, int n)` ¶
Function: `_FloatN` scalbnfN `(_FloatN x, int n)` ¶
Function: `_FloatNx` scalbnfNx `(_FloatNx x, int n)` ¶

  Preliminary: | MT-Safe | AS-Safe | AC-Safe | See POSIX Safety Concepts.

  `scalbn` is identical to `scalb`, except that the exponent n is an `int` instead of a floating-point number.

Function: `double` scalbln `(double x, long int n)` ¶
Function: `float` scalblnf `(float x, long int n)` ¶
Function: `long double` scalblnl `(long double x, long int n)` ¶
Function: `_FloatN` scalblnfN `(_FloatN x, long int n)` ¶
Function: `_FloatNx` scalblnfNx `(_FloatNx x, long int n)` ¶

  Preliminary: | MT-Safe | AS-Safe | AC-Safe | See POSIX Safety Concepts.

  `scalbln` is identical to `scalb`, except that the exponent n is a `long int` instead of a floating-point number.

Function: `double` significand `(double x)` ¶
Function: `float` significandf `(float x)` ¶
Function: `long double` significandl `(long double x)` ¶

  Preliminary: | MT-Safe | AS-Safe | AC-Safe | See POSIX Safety Concepts.

  `significand` returns the mantissa of x scaled to the range [1, `FLT_RADIX`). It is equivalent to `scalb (x, (double) -ilogb (x))`.

  This function exists mainly for use in certain standardized tests of IEEE 754 conformance.