1. the decimal part of a logarithm
Usage: mathematics
2. the fractional part of a floating-point number in computer science
Usage: computing

Examples

• In the logarithm 2.3010, the mantissa is 0.3010.
• The mantissa determines the precision of a floating-point number.
• Students learned to find the mantissa using logarithm tables.
• The computer stores the mantissa separately from the exponent.
• A 32-bit float uses 23 bits for the mantissa.
• The mantissa of log₁₀(200) is approximately 0.3010.