floating

English translation: not referenced to ground; not referenced to a fixed potential

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:floating
Selected answer:not referenced to ground; not referenced to a fixed potential
Entered by: Ken Cox

01:06 Oct 8, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Computers: Hardware
English term or phrase: floating
QUADAC, 16 bits (20.5 bits floating)

What does floating mean? Does it somehow relate to floating-point operations per second?
Jonathan Widell
Canada
Local time: 09:34
further comment
Explanation:
I suspect this has to do with a sort of differential measurement mode, in which the instrument senses and converts the difference between the external voltage and a stable internal reference voltage, but outputs a value equal to the sum of the two. The native resolution of the internal conversion is thus applied to the difference value, so a higher 'effective' resolution is obtained if that resolution is extrapolated over the total value.

That fits with the one of the meanings of 'floating' in the electronics sense: referenced to a potential other than ground.
Selected response from:

Ken Cox
Local time: 14:34
Grading comment
Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +4See below.
Michael Barnett
4 +1further comment
Ken Cox


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
further comment


Explanation:
I suspect this has to do with a sort of differential measurement mode, in which the instrument senses and converts the difference between the external voltage and a stable internal reference voltage, but outputs a value equal to the sum of the two. The native resolution of the internal conversion is thus applied to the difference value, so a higher 'effective' resolution is obtained if that resolution is extrapolated over the total value.

That fits with the one of the meanings of 'floating' in the electronics sense: referenced to a potential other than ground.

Ken Cox
Local time: 14:34
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Will Matter
1 hr
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
See below.


Explanation:
Floating point numbers are ubiquitous in computers, but I cannot make sense of it in this context. Has anyone ever heard of a 20.5 bit floating point number? In digital systems there is no such thing as half a bit.
The QUADAC device referenced in the question is an analogue to digital device. The half bit makes sense in this context, but what does that mean in terms of floating point numbers?
The answer is that the "floating" refers to a "floating" voltage signal as opposed to a "ground referenced" signal voltage.
See reference. :-)

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Note added at 15 hrs 41 mins (2005-10-08 16:48:21 GMT)
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I wish to change this answer. "Floating" refers to "floating resolution". See the company's own press release:
http://www.unimeter.com/unimeter_news/unimeter_news.htm

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Note added at 19 hrs 8 mins (2005-10-08 20:14:40 GMT)
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It appears that the floating resolution and the floating voltage are related as Kenneth has noted. See reference in notes from the asker.


    Reference: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/physics/px4508/hndt-1
Michael Barnett
Local time: 09:34
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Maria Karra: You're absolutely right. And thanks for the link; very informative.
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Maria. It got me thinking about half-bit numbers. Maybe someone will develope a whole new mathematics along the lines of complex number theory! ;-) Regards.

agree  Rajan Chopra
5 hrs
  -> Thank you langclinc.

agree  Ken Cox: I think you're right, but there must be more to it than simply operating the instrument in floating mode (there's no reason why that alone should yield higher resolution). See further comment (not enough room here).
5 hrs
  -> Thanks Ken!

agree  Will Matter
6 hrs
  -> Thank you.

neutral  Tony M: I don't believe this is an electrically-floating signal, but rather, a floating convertor range... // Yes, that makes much more sense to me...
8 hrs
  -> You got me to rethink this Dusty. "Floating" refers to resolution. See added note.
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