CS 61C Quiz - Week 3-2-1: Wednesday

Question 1:

One of the BIG ideas this week is that data can be anything: integers,
floats, characters, instructions, etc. We mentioned that this introduces
security holes in our system. Describe specifically how someone could
exploit this.  What is one possible technique that could prevent it and
what tradeoffs (if any) would have to be made?

Question 2:

What is a 'subnormal' and why do we care about it?

Question 3:

Briefly explain why, in the old days, many programmers wrote (0.5 - x) + 0.5
instead of 1.0 - x.

Question 4:

Adhering to standards (such as IEEE 754) usually has advantages and
disadvantages. If your job was to design the next generation of math
co-processors, what would be the strongest argument for and against
adhering to the standard?

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