[greg7mdp]

> for exponent 1, 10 and 11 you then have the same

Right. But the exponent is signed as well, so you have the same number of exponent values mapping to values between -1 and 1 (roughly exponent values from -127 to -1) as to all other values (between -inf and -1 and between 1 and inf), exponent values from 1 to 126.