Programming for Microprocessors

14

Representation of data

mentally a matter of convention; but to arrive at a sensible rule we

make use of

a

circle diagram.

Consider a variable with integral (whole number) values. Each value

can be written down in a small circle, and the operation of adding 1 can

be shown as an arrow. A mathematician would show part of the set of

integers as in Figure 2.1, it being understood (by the mathematician)

that the line of numbers extends to infinity in both directions.

10000000

Figure 2.2

Representation of data 15

In a microprocessor with an eight-bi ...