# Print a rational number in binary format
**URL:** https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/print-a-rational-number-in-binary-format/13643
**Category:** Community
**Tags:** stdlib, printf, binary
**Created:** [December 15, 2023, 7:18am UTC](https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/print-a-rational-number-in-binary-format/13643 "2023-12-15T07:18:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@UnixJunkie](https://discuss.ocaml.org/u/UnixJunkie)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2023, 7:18am UTC](https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/print-a-rational-number-in-binary-format/13643/1 "2023-12-15T07:18:11Z")
I have a number x such that 0 \<= x \< 1.0.
I would like to print x in binary format.
e.g. x=1/1024 prints “0.0000000001”
x=1/2 prints “0.1”
Am I right that the stdlib’s Printf “only” supports octal, decimal and hexadecimal?
I guess I am good for coding the conversion then.
---
### Author:  [@lindig](https://discuss.ocaml.org/u/lindig)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2023, 8:55am UTC](https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/print-a-rational-number-in-binary-format/13643/2 "2023-12-15T08:55:07Z")
You can get the binary representation of a float using `Int64.bits_of_float` which will give you the bit pattern you are looking for except for the scaling.
---
### Author:  [@vlaviron](https://discuss.ocaml.org/u/vlaviron)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2023, 9:15am UTC](https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/print-a-rational-number-in-binary-format/13643/3 "2023-12-15T09:15:45Z")
> [@UnixJunkie](#):
>
> Am I right that the stdlib’s Printf “only” supports octal, decimal and hexadecimal?
As far as I know, yes.
Although it looks like the `%b` specifier for booleans is deprecated (with `%B` as the recommended alternative), possibly with the aim to reuse it for integers in binary format in a future release.