diff --git a/examples/kinematics.oph b/examples/kinematics.oph
index ff00c46..5240402 100644
--- a/examples/kinematics.oph
+++ b/examples/kinematics.oph
@@ -95,11 +95,11 @@ impact_point_2:
 height_1:
 	.byte "MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF ",0
 
-f_0_125: .byte 126,0,0,0,0
-f_9_8:	.byte 132,28,204,204,204
-f_90:	.byte 135,52,0,0,0
-f_100:	.byte 135,72,0,0,0
-f_180:	.byte 136,52,0,0,0
+f_0_125: .cbmfloat "0.125"
+f_9_8:	.cbmfloat "9.8"
+f_90:	.cbmfloat "90"
+f_100:	.cbmfloat "100"
+f_180:	.cbmfloat "180"
 
 get_num:
 .scope
diff --git a/src/Ophis/CorePragmas.py b/src/Ophis/CorePragmas.py
index 090dd6a..b57dbb3 100644
--- a/src/Ophis/CorePragmas.py
+++ b/src/Ophis/CorePragmas.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import Ophis.CmdLine
 import Ophis.IR as IR
 import Ophis.Frontend as FE
 import Ophis.Errors as Err
-import os.path
+import math, os.path
 
 basecharmap = "".join([chr(x) for x in range(256)])
 currentcharmap = basecharmap
@@ -219,6 +219,40 @@ def pragmaData(ppt, line, result):
     result.append(IR.Node(ppt, "DataSegment", segment))
 
 
+def pragmaCbmfloat(ppt, line, result):
+    "Parses a string into a CBM BASIC format floating point number"
+    data = []
+    while True:
+        try:
+            v_str = line.expect("STRING").value
+            v = float(v_str)
+            if v == 0.0:
+                data.extend([0,0,0,0,0])
+            else:
+                if v < 0.0:
+                    sign = 128
+                    v = -v
+                else:
+                    sign = 0
+                expt = math.floor(math.log(v, 2))
+                if expt >= -128 and expt <= 126:
+                    mantissa = v / (2**expt)
+                    m1 = (mantissa - 1.0) * 128 + sign
+                    m2 = m1 * 256
+                    m3 = m2 * 256
+                    m4 = m3 * 256
+                    data.extend([int(x) % 256 for x in [expt+129,m1,m2,m3,m4]])
+                else:
+                    Err.log("Floating point constant out of range")
+        except ValueError:
+            Err.log("Expected: floating point")
+        next = line.expect(',', 'EOL').type
+        if next == 'EOL':
+            break
+    bytes = [IR.ConstantExpr(x) for x in data]
+    result.append(IR.Node(ppt, "Byte", *bytes))
+
+
 def readData(line):
     "Read raw data from a comma-separated list"
     if line.lookahead(0).type == "STRING":
diff --git a/tests/testdata.bin b/tests/testdata.bin
index 6279ccb..88d0f89 100644
Binary files a/tests/testdata.bin and b/tests/testdata.bin differ
diff --git a/tests/testdata.oph b/tests/testdata.oph
index c0fc1aa..e1129d2 100644
--- a/tests/testdata.oph
+++ b/tests/testdata.oph
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-; This data file just dumps out $00-$0F repeatedly with different forms,
-; bracketed by $00s and then $60s.
+; This part of the file just dumps out $00-$0F repeatedly with
+; different forms, bracketed by $00s and then $60s.
 .advance $10, ^
 .byte 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
 .word 256, $0302, $0504, $0706, $0908, $0b0a, $0d0c, $0f0e
@@ -7,3 +7,21 @@
 .wordbe 1, $0203, $0405, $0607, $0809, $0a0b, $0c0d, $0e0f
 .dwordbe $010203, $04050607, $08090a0b, $0c0d0e0f
 .advance $70, ^
+
+; To verify that that these numbers match up, we use the following
+; BASIC program, which works on both the C64 and the VIC-20.
+
+; 10 clr:v=0:pv=peek(45)+256*peek(46)+2
+; 20 input "convert what";v
+; 30 for i=0 to 4:print peek(pv+i);:next i
+; 40 print:if v<>0 then 10
+
+.cbmfloat "0.0", "0.125","9.8","90","100","180"
+
+; The program tells us that these are the right answers.
+; We'd like to test more exotic choices like the 4.3e12 or what have you,
+; but the fact that these are two different kinds of floating point
+; results in slight variations at the very bottom of the mantissa.
+; caveat emptor.
+; .byte 0,0,0,0,0,126,0,0,0,0,132,28,204,204,204,135,52,0,0,0
+; .byte 135,72,0,0,0,136,52,0,0,0