the problem is that for 0.123 (say) it's not 123 multiplied by 0.001 - the multiplier has to be a power of 2, so the thing being multiplied is no longer a simpl

the problem is that for 0.123 (say) it's not 123 multiplied by 0.001 - the multiplier has to be a power of 2, so the thing being multiplied is no longer a simple integer. see my answer at http://stackoverflow.com/a/7289400/181772 http://stackoverflow.com/a/7289400/181772 for a similar case.