Your source for the most up-to-date terms, definitions, and acronyms for and about internet service providers.
Search for an ISP term
underflow
Last modified: Thursday, February 13, 2003
Refers to the condition that occurs when a computer attempts to represent a number that is too small for it (that is, a number too close to zero). Programs respond to underflow conditions in different ways. Some report an error, while others approximate as best they can and continue processing. For example, if your computer supports eight decimal places of precision and a calculation produces the number 0.000000005 (with nine decimal places), an underflow condition occurs.
