An Introduction to Floating Point Math

Explore the intricacies of floating-point mathematics in this 45-minute conference talk from NDC TechTown 2022. Delve into the fundamentals of IEEE 754 floating-point numbers, including their representation and correlation to scientific notation. Gain insights into the limitations and potential errors associated with floating-point math in programming. Learn effective techniques for comparing floating-point numbers and understand the nuances of guaranteed results in mathematical operations. Examine scenarios where conventional understanding of floating-point math may falter, such as cross-platform C++ development and varying contexts. Conclude with a comprehensive overview of notable catch cases, limitations, and platform-specific considerations in floating-point arithmetic.

Introduction
Contents
Why are floats weird
Scientific notation
Relative difference
Decimal flows
Rounding
Recap
Guaranteed Results
Multiplication
Comparison
Bitwise Comparison
Direct Comparison
Absolute Margin
Relative Margin
Distance
Relative Distance
Summary
Notable Catch 2
Limitations
IEEE platforms
Languages
Go
C
C compilation flags
External code
Questions