Certain operations in ALGOL require an indication of a numeric sign in character data. The sign of a numeric field is represented as follows:
|
8-bit characters |
The sign is in the zone field of the least significant character (field [7:4] of the character). A bit configuration of 1"1101" (4"D") indicates a negative number; any other bit configuration indicates a positive number. |
|
6-bit characters |
The sign is in the zone field of the least significant character (field [5:2] of the character). A bit configuration of 1" 10" indicates a negative number; any other bit configuration indicates a positive number. |
|
4-bit digits |
The sign is carried as a separate digit, and it is the most significant digit of the field. A bit configuration of 1"1101" (4"D") indicates a negative number; any other bit configuration indicates a positive number. |
