Is this just the smallest number that can be stored in 32 bits for example?
from math import inf
1 Answers
Floating-point numbers (real numbers as typically implemented on a computer) have special values reserved for positive and negative infinity. Rather than just being “the largest or smallest representable 32-bit numbers,” they act as though they really are infinite. For example, adding anything to positive infinity (other than negative infinity) gives positive infinity, and a similar rule holds for negative infinity.
For more on this, do a search for “IEEE-754 infinity.”
Related