frexp

float       frexpf( float arg, int* exp );

double      frexp( double arg, int* exp );

long double frexpl( long double arg, int* exp );

#define frexp( arg, exp )

Parameters

Return value

If arg is zero, returns zero and stores zero in *exp.

Otherwise (if arg is not zero), if no errors occur, returns the value x in the range (-1;-0.5], [0.5; 1) and stores an integer value in *exp such that x×2(*exp)
=arg.

If the value to be stored in *exp is outside the range of int, the behavior is unspecified.

If arg is not a floating-point number, the behavior is unspecified.

Error handling

This function is not subject to any errors specified in math_errhandling.

If the implementation supports IEEE floating-point arithmetic (IEC 60559),

• If arg is ±0, it is returned, unmodified, and 0 is stored in *exp.
• If arg is ±∞, it is returned, and an unspecified value is stored in *exp.
• If arg is NaN, NaN is returned, and an unspecified value is stored in *exp.
• No floating-point exceptions are raised.
• If FLT_RADIX is 2 (or a power of 2), the returned value is exact, the current rounding mode is ignored

Notes

On a binary system (where FLT_RADIX is 2), frexp may be implemented as.

{
    *exp = (value == 0) ? 0 : (int)(1 + logb(value));
    return scalbn(value, -(*exp));
}

The function frexp, together with its dual, ldexp, can be used to manipulate the representation of a floating-point number without direct bit manipulations.

Example

#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
#include <float.h>
 
int main(void)
{
    double f = 123.45;
    printf("Given the number %.2f or %a in hex,\n", f, f);
 
    double f3;
    double f2 = modf(f, &f3);
    printf("modf() makes %.0f + %.2f\n", f3, f2);
 
    int i;
    f2 = frexp(f, &i);
    printf("frexp() makes %f * 2^%d\n", f2, i);
 
    i = ilogb(f);
    printf("logb()/ilogb() make %f * %d^%d\n", f/scalbn(1.0, i), FLT_RADIX, i);
}

Given the number 123.45 or 0x1.edccccccccccdp+6 in hex,
modf() makes 123 + 0.45
frexp() makes 0.964453 * 2^7
logb()/ilogb() make 1.92891 * 2^6

References

• C11 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:2011):
  • 7.12.6.4 The frexp functions (p: 243)
  • 7.25 Type-generic math <tgmath.h> (p: 373-375)
  • F.10.3.4 The frexp functions (p: 521)
• C99 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1999):
  • 7.12.6.4 The frexp functions (p: 224)
  • 7.22 Type-generic math <tgmath.h> (p: 335-337)
  • F.9.3.4 The frexp functions (p: 458)
• C89/C90 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:1990):
  • 4.5.4.2 The frexp function

See also