mantissa

[ man-tis-uh ]

noun

1. Mathematics. the decimal part of a common logarithm. Compare characteristic ( def 3a ).
2. Obsolete. an addition of little or no importance, as to a literary work.

mantissa

/ mænˈtɪsə /

noun

1. the fractional part of a common logarithm representing the digits of the associated number but not its magnitude Compare characteristic

   the mantissa of 2.4771 is .4771

mantissa

/ măn-tĭs′ə /

1. The part of a logarithm to the base ten that is to the right of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, .749 is the mantissa.
2. Compare characteristic

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantissa¹

1860–65; < Latin, variant of mantisa addition, makeweight, said to be from Etruscan; logarithmic mantissa so called because it is additional to the characteristic or integral part (term introduced by H. Briggs)

Word History and Origins

Origin of mantissa¹

C17: from Latin: something added, of Etruscan origin

Example Sentences

In these, the PDP-3 36 bit word is divided to form a 27 bit mantissa, a, and 9 bit exponent, b.

From Project Gutenberg