关于这个问题，我找到的最佳答案要感谢IBM引用的XDR标准:

Integer An XDR signed integer is a 32-bit piece of data that encodes an integer in the range [-2147483648,2147483647]. The integer is represented in two's complement notation. The most and least significant bytes are 0 and 3, respectively. The data description of integers is integer. Unsigned integer An XDR unsigned integer is a 32-bit piece of data that encodes a nonnegative integer in the range [0,4294967295]. It is represented by an unsigned binary number whose most and least significant bytes are 0 and 3, respectively. The data description of unsigned integers is unsigned.

参见维基百科上的XDR标准

Signed integers in C represent numbers. If a and b are variables of signed integer types, the standard will never require that a compiler make the expression a+=b store into a anything other than the arithmetic sum of their respective values. To be sure, if the arithmetic sum would not fit into a, the processor might not be able to put it there, but the standard would not require the compiler to truncate or wrap the value, or do anything else for that matter if values that exceed the limits for their types. Note that while the standard does not require it, C implementations are allowed to trap arithmetic overflows with signed values.

Unsigned integers in C behave as abstract algebraic rings of integers which are congruent modulo some power of two, except in scenarios involving conversions to, or operations with, larger types. Converting an integer of any size to a 32-bit unsigned type will yield the member corresponding to things which are congruent to that integer mod 4,294,967,296. The reason subtracting 3 from 2 yields 4,294,967,295 is that adding something congruent to 3 to something congruent to 4,294,967,295 will yield something congruent to 2.

Abstract algebraic rings types are often handy things to have; unfortunately, C uses signedness as the deciding factor for whether a type should behave as a ring. Worse, unsigned values are treated as numbers rather than ring members when converted to larger types, and unsigned values smaller than int get converted to numbers when any arithmetic is performed upon them. If v is a uint32_t which equals 4,294,967,294, then v*=v; should make v=4. Unfortunately, if int is 64 bits, then there's no telling what v*=v; could do.

鉴于标准的现状，我建议在需要与代数环相关的行为时使用无符号类型，在需要表示数字时使用有符号类型。不幸的是，C以这种方式进行了区分，但它们就是它们。

除此之外，在C语言中，你不能溢出一个无符号整数;行为被定义为模算术。您可以溢出一个有符号整数，并且在理论上(尽管在当前主流系统上没有实践)，溢出可能会触发一个错误(可能类似于除零错误)。

为了完整起见，这里只提几点:

this answer is discussing only integer representations. There may be other answers for floating point; the representation of a negative number can vary. The most common (by far - it's nearly universal today) in use today is two's complement. Other representations include one's complement (quite rare) and signed magnitude (vanishingly rare - probably only used on museum pieces) which is simply using the high bit as a sign indicator with the remain bits representing the absolute value of the number. When using two's complement, the variable can represent a larger range (by one) of negative numbers than positive numbers. This is because zero is included in the 'positive' numbers (since the sign bit is not set for zero), but not the negative numbers. This means that the absolute value of the smallest negative number cannot be represented. when using one's complement or signed magnitude you can have zero represented as either a positive or negative number (which is one of a couple of reasons these representations aren't typically used).

Unsigned值可以是一个较大的正数，而不能是负数。

Yes.

Unsigned版本使用前导位作为值的一部分，而signed版本使用最左边的位来识别数字是正还是负。

有不同的表示有符号整数的方法。最容易想象的是使用最左边的位作为标志(符号和幅度)，但更常见的是2的补位。这两种方法在大多数现代微处理器中都有使用——浮点数使用符号和幅度，而整数算术使用2的补数。

有符号整数可以同时包含正数和负数。

Yes.

关于这个问题，我找到的最佳答案要感谢IBM引用的XDR标准:

Integer An XDR signed integer is a 32-bit piece of data that encodes an integer in the range [-2147483648,2147483647]. The integer is represented in two's complement notation. The most and least significant bytes are 0 and 3, respectively. The data description of integers is integer. Unsigned integer An XDR unsigned integer is a 32-bit piece of data that encodes a nonnegative integer in the range [0,4294967295]. It is represented by an unsigned binary number whose most and least significant bytes are 0 and 3, respectively. The data description of unsigned integers is unsigned.

参见维基百科上的XDR标准