A computer with 32 bit word size uses 2s complement to represent numbers. The…

2017

A computer with 32 bit word size uses 2s complement to represent numbers. The range of integers that can be represented by this computer is

  1. A.

    –232 to 232

  2. B.

    –231 to 232-1

  3. C.

    –231 to 231-1

  4. D.

    –231-1 to 232-1

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Correct answer: C

For a 32-bit word size using two's complement representation, the range of representable integers is determined by the number of bits (n=32). The minimum value is -2^(n-1) and the maximum value is 2^(n-1) - 1. Substituting n=32, the range is from -2^31 to 2^31 - 1.

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