What is the Smallest Double-Precision Number?

The smallest double-precision number, in terms of its numerical value (most negative), is -1.79769E+308.

This value is the lower bound for the range of numbers that can be represented using the double-precision floating-point format. As stated in the Apache DB Project documentation regarding DOUBLE PRECISION, the range is defined as:

• Smallest DOUBLE value: -1.79769E+308
• Largest DOUBLE value: 1.79769E+308

This refers to the smallest magnitude negative number that can be stored, which is the number furthest from zero on the negative side of the number line.

Understanding Double-Precision

Double-precision floating-point numbers are a common way computers represent real numbers. They use 64 bits of storage, allowing for a wide range of values and relatively high precision compared to single-precision (32-bit) numbers.

Key Characteristics

Here's a simple breakdown:

The "smallest" number often refers to the number with the least value (i.e., the most negative number). The smallest positive double-precision number greater than zero is significantly different and much closer to zero.

For example, the smallest positive normalized double-precision number is approximately 2.22507E-308. However, the question specifically asks for the overall smallest number, which is the most negative one.

Reference Source

The range information provided aligns with standard double-precision specifications, such as those defined by the IEEE 754 standard. The specific values referenced here come from the Apache DB Project documentation on DOUBLE PRECISION.

Understanding these limits is crucial when working with numerical data in programming or databases to avoid issues like overflow (exceeding the maximum value) or underflow (approaching zero beyond the representable limit, though the smallest negative number is about the most negative limit, not the underflow limit near zero).