"What our teachers don't tell us in school is that we will spend most of our scientific or engineering career in front of computers, trying to beat them into submission." This extract from the Preface sets the style for this highly readable book. It is packed with information covering data representations, the pitfalls of computer arithmetic, and a variety of widely-used representations and standards. Each chapter begins with a detailed contents list and finishes with a brief summary of the topics presented and the whole is rounded off with a glossary and index. Novices will enjoy an occasionally lighthearted read from start to finish, while even the most experienced computer users who use the book as a reference will discover useful nuggets of information. A structured array of data sets are available online via the