How to find the best Q format representation?

1. What is format Q?
2. What number does Q stand for?
3. What does the M in Qn M signify?
4. How is fixed-point representation of a number done?

What is format Q?

Q (number) format is a fixed-point method of coding fractional and whole integers for processing by a computer's CPU or a digital signal processor (DSP). The Q format is used to enable rational number processing by a standard integer hardware arithmetic logic unit (ALU).

What number does Q stand for?

R = real numbers, Z = integers, N=natural numbers, Q = rational numbers, P = irrational numbers.

What does the M in Qn M signify?

If we are using n bits for the integer part and m bits for the fractional part, we may say that the numbers are in Qn. m format.

How is fixed-point representation of a number done?

There are three parts of a fixed-point number representation: the sign field, integer field, and fractional field. We can represent these numbers using: Signed representation: range from -(2^(k-1)-1) to (2^(k-1)-1), for k bits. 1's complement representation: range from -(2^(k-1)-1) to (2^(k-1)-1), for k bits.