Final answer:
An overflow error in floating point calculations happens when a value exceeds what the number format can represent, with the threshold determined by the system's floating-point specifications like single or double precision. Overflow errors can result in different system behaviors such as infinity representation or an error.
Step-by-step explanation:
An overflow error in floating point calculations occurs when a calculated value exceeds the limits of the numeric range that a given floating point format can represent. This threshold is determined by the precision and size of the floating-point representation used by the computing system. Typically, floating-point numbers are defined by formats such as single precision or double precision, which conform to standards like IEEE 754.
In a single precision format, for example, the largest positive number that can be represented is approximately 3.4 × 1038, and attempting to store a larger value results in an overflow. Similarly, in double precision, the threshold is much higher but still finite. When an overflow occurs, the system might represent the result as infinity, raise an error, or allow the program to continue with a warning, depending on the language and system settings.