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sign extension

Widening a signed number by copying its sign bit into the new upper bits, so its value stays the same.

Sign extension from n to m bits (m > n) fills bits n..m-1 with bit n-1, preserving the two's-complement value.

Examples

  • Widening the 8-bit −3 (0xFD) to 32 bits copies the sign bit: 0xFFFFFFFD, still −3.

See also

sign bit zero extension
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