PDP-11 Floating Point Format

This document outlines the design and rationale for the floating point format adopted by the PDP-11 computer family. It compares various options, discusses basic requirements like exponent range and word length, and provides justification for the selection of an IBM 360-style floating point format. The memorandum also covers hardware and software implications, such as conversion speed, normalization statistics, and consistency with existing byte-oriented architecture.