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To: python-list@python.org
From: Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu>
Subject: Re: Extracting bit fields from an IEEE-784 float
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2012 01:17:22 -0400
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On 7/29/2012 8:44 PM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> I wish to extract the bit fields from a Python float, call it x. First I
> cast the float to 8-bytes:
>
> s = struct.pack('=d', x)
> i = struct.unpack('=q', s)[0]
>
> Then I extract the bit fields from the int, e.g. to grab the sign bit:
>
> (i & 0x8000000000000000) >> 63
>
>
> Questions:
>
> 1) Are there any known implementations or platforms where Python floats
> are not C doubles? If so, what are they?

CPython floats are C doubles, which should be IEEE doubles. Other 
implementations have a different to probably the same thing.

> 2) If the platform byte-order is reversed, do I need to take any special
> action? I don't think I do, because even though the float is reversed, so
> will be the bit mask. Is this correct?

The math modules functions to disassemble floats will not care.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy