two's complement Meaning & Definition
What Does Two's Complement Mean?
Two's Complement is used as a noun meaning The number obtained by complementing every bit of a given number and adding one. A number and its complement add to 2, where n is the word size of the machine. It is also used to mean The convention by which bit patterns with high bit 0 represent positive numbers from 0 to 2n−1−1 directly, while bit patterns with high bit 1 represent negative numbers from −1 to −2n−1, n being the word size of the machine, and the numeric complement of a number is its two's complement.
Two's Complement Definition (Noun)
- The number obtained by complementing every bit of a given number and adding one. A number and its complement add to 2, where n is the word size of the machine.
The two's complement of 0xAAAA is 0x5556 on a 16-bit machine, and 0xFFFF5556 on a 32-bit machine.
- The convention by which bit patterns with high bit 0 represent positive numbers from 0 to 2n−1−1 directly, while bit patterns with high bit 1 represent negative numbers from −1 to −2n−1, n being the word size of the machine, and the numeric complement of a number is its two's complement.
Nearly all modern computers use two's complement for integer arithmetic.
Synonyms of Two's Complement
The source does not list synonyms for this entry.
Two's complement synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Two's Complement
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Two's Complement in a Sentence
The two's complement of 0xAAAA is 0x5556 on a 16-bit machine, and 0xFFFF5556 on a 32-bit machine.
Nearly all modern computers use two's complement for integer arithmetic.
Word Forms & Grammar
two's complement (plural two's complements)