Programming :: IEEE Floating Point Format?

I'm reading a book on assembly, and it talks a bit about the IEEE floating point format.

Quote:

To summarize, the following steps are used to convert a decimal number to IEEE single format: 1. The leading bit of the floating point format is 0 for a positive number and 1 for a negative number. 2. Write the unsigned number in binary. 3. Write the binary number in binary scientific notation f23.f22 ... f0 2^e, where f23 = 1. There are 24 fraction bits, but it is not necessary to write trailing 0's. 4. Add a bias of 127 to the exponent e. This sum, in binary form, is the next 8 bits of the answer, following the sign bit. (Adding a bias is an alternative to storing the exponent as a signed number.) 5. The fraction bits f22f21 ... f0 form the last 23 bits of the floating point number. The leading bit f23 (which is always 1) is dropped.