get the integer representation value of a float type variable in C

Question

I have the number 20 (0x14) stored in a 32-bit register. The register is allocated to a C float variable representing the value 2.8e-44. Now I want to get the hexadecimal re

Answer 1

Note that the behaviour of (int*)&f is undefined as the pointer types are unrelated. So don't approach the problem in that way.

Having checked that sizeof(float) is the same as sizeof(int), you could do this in one of two ways:

1) Type pruning through a union consisting of a float, and an int. Set the union using one member, and read it back with the other.

2) memcpy the contents of a variable of one type to the location of the variable of the other type.

Of these I prefer (2): (1) might be undefined with older C standards, and (2) also works well with C++.