HP RPN SCIENTIFIC WP 34S Owner's Manual page 54

Finally, return to the original number via , choose UNSIGN and you will get:
Note the second number looks like in 2c, but in addition an overflow is set here.
This needs explanation, since changing signs has no meaning in un per definition
where the most significant bit adds magnitude, not sign, so the largest value
represented by a 12-
or result in no operation at least. Nevertheless,
implemented this way in the HP-16C, so we follow this implementation for sake of
backward compatibility.
Thus, pressing
here; you must also clear the overflow flag by
As you have seen, positive numbers stay unchanged in all those four modes. Negative
numbers, on the other hand, are represented in different ways. Therefore, taking a
negative number in one mode and switching to another one will lead to different
interpretations. The fixed bit pattern representing e.g. -147
displayed as -146
Keeping the mode (e.g. 2c again) and changing the bases will produce different views of
the constant bit pattern as well. You will notice that the displays for bases 4, 8, and 16 will
look similar to those shown above, presenting all twelve bits to you, while in the other
bases a signed mantissa will be displayed instead.
Compare for example
Let us look to bigger words now: For example, turn to UNSIGN, LZOFF, WSIZE 64,
BASE 16, and enter 93A14B6. Then your WP 34S will display:
41
This is clearly stated also in the HP-16C Computer Scientist Owner's Handbook of April 1982 on page 30.
Unfortunately, however, they did not stick to this.
42
This takes into account that bases 2, 4, 8, and 16 are most convenient for bit and byte manipulations and
further close-to-hardware applications. On the other hand, the bases in between will probably gain most
interest in dealing with different number representations and calculating therein, where base 10 is the
common reference standard.
WP 34S Owner's Manual
bit word is 4095 instead of 2047. Thus,

will not suffice anymore for returning to the original number
d d
in 1c, -1901
in sm, and
the outputs
and – after –



d
3949
with or
Edition 3.1
 should be illegal here
in unsigned mode was allowed and
explicitly (see p. 24).
d
in default 2c will be
in un.
for base 4 and
42
for base 5.
.
41
,
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