Increasing the base-2 exponent by 1 results in which effect?

Increasing the base-2 exponent by 1 results in which effect?

• A. The value increases by one
• B. The value decreases by half
• C. The value doubles
• D. The value remains the same

Answer: (C)

In base-2, the exponent tells you how many times to multiply by 2. If you increase the exponent by 1, you multiply the whole value by 2, so the value doubles. For a value written as m × 2^e, increasing e to e+1 gives m × 2^(e+1) = 2 × (m × 2^e). In binary terms, this is like shifting the number left by one place, which doubles its magnitude.

In base-2, the exponent tells you how many times to multiply by 2. If you increase the exponent by 1, you multiply the whole value by 2, so the value doubles. For a value written as m × 2^e, increasing e to e+1 gives m × 2^(e+1) = 2 × (m × 2^e). In binary terms, this is like shifting the number left by one place, which doubles its magnitude.