performed times, with . and are the level and index of respectively. is the LI image of . For example,
: so its LI image is
:

The symmetric form is used to allow negative exponents, if the magnitude of is less than 1. One takes or and stores it (after substituting +1 for 0 for the reciprocal sign; since for the LI image is and uniquely defines , we can do away without a third state and use only one bit for the two states -1 and +1) as the reciprocal sign . Mathematically, this is equivalent