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When decimal fixed-point numbers are displayed for human reading, the fraction digits are usually separated from those of the integer part by a [[radix character]] (usually '.' in English, but ',' or some other symbol in many other languages). Internally, however, there is no separation, and the distinction between the two groups of digits is defined only by the programs that handle such numbers.
Fixed-point representation was the norm in [[mechanical calculator]]s. Since most modern [[Processor (computing)|processors]] have a fast [[floating-point unit]] (FPU), fixed-point representations in processor-based implementations are now used only in special situations, such as in low-cost [[embedded system|embedded]] [[microprocessor]]s and [[microcontroller]]s; in applications that demand high speed or low [[electric power|power]] consumption or small [[integrated circuit|chip]] area, like [[image processing|image]], [[video processing|video]], and [[digital signal processing]]; or when their use is more natural for the problem. Examples of the latter are [[accounting]] of dollar amounts, when fractions of cents must be rounded to whole cents in strictly prescribed ways; and the evaluation of [[function (mathematics)|functions]] by [[table lookup]], or any application where rational numbers need to be represented without rounding errors (which fixed-point does but floating-point cannot). Fixed-point representation is still the norm for [[field-programmable gate array]] (FPGA) implementations, as floating-point support in an FPGA requires significantly more resources than fixed-point support.<ref name="Wong_2017"/>
==Representation==
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