Which statement is true about floating-point precision?

• A. All real numbers can be represented exactly.
• B. It uses a fixed number of digits for the significand.
• C. It can represent integers exactly with arbitrary precision.
• D. The base is always ten.

Answer: (B)

Floating-point numbers represent a wide range of real numbers by using a fixed number of digits for the significand, while the exponent scales the value. This fixed significand size sets the precision you have with every number representation. Because the precision is limited, not every real number can be represented exactly, and numbers like 0.1 or 1/3 can’t be stored precisely in binary floating point. Integers can be represented exactly only up to the limit set by the significand’s size, not with arbitrary precision. Also, the base isn’t required to be ten; most systems use binary (base 2), though decimal variants exist. So the statement about using a fixed number of digits for the significand is the true one.