Compute each result as if it had unbounded precision and exponent range; then coerce that mathematical result to the format of the destination.
This model is the foundation of the IEEE arithmetic standards. Because the model is faithful to the underlying mathematics, you can deduce the outcome of almost any computation from its purely mathematical behavior. This model is deceptively simple. Its complexity lies in the coercion of a mathematical result to the destination.
Coercing a mathematical result entails a number of special cases:
This computational model is closed in the sense that every operation delivers a result that behaves predictably in subsequent operations.
or by the largest representable finite number, depending on the type of rounding.
, are given the limiting value.
, 
, or 
, are given the value NaN (not-a-number).
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