C++ User's Guide

Values

p must be one of the following:

Value of p

Meaning 

single

Rounds to an IEEE single-precision value 

double

Rounds to an IEEE double-precision value 

extended

Rounds to the maximum precision available 

If p is single or double, this option causes the rounding precision mode to be set to single or double precision, respectively, when a program begins execution. If p is extended or the -fprecision option is not used, the rounding precision mode remains at the extended precision.

The single precision rounding mode causes results to be rounded to 24 significant bits, and double precision rounding mode causes results to be rounded to 53 significant bits. In the default extended precision mode, results are rounded to 64 significant bits. This mode controls only the precision to which results in registers are rounded, and it does not affect the range. All results in register are rounded using the full range of the extended double format. Results that are stored in memory are rounded to both the range and precision of the destination format, however.

The nominal precision of the float type is single. The nominal precision of the long double type is extended.