title: Obtain & manipulate bit pattern of float as integer
body: <p>In Python 2.5, I have a float and I'd like to obtain and manipulate its bit pattern as an integer.</p>
  
  <p>For example, suppose I have</p>
  
  <pre><code>x = 173.3125
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>In IEEE 754 format, <code>x</code>'s bit pattern in hexadecimal is <code>432D5000</code>.</p>
  
  <p>How can I obtain &amp; manipulate (e.g., perform bitwise operations) on that bit pattern?</p>