math coprocessor


math coprocessor

[¦math ′kō‚prä‚ses·ər] (computer science) numeric processor extension

math coprocessor

A mathematical circuit that performs high-speed floating point operations. Also called a "floating point unit" (FPU), the math coprocessor may be a stand-alone chip or circuits built into the CPU. Floating point capability is very important to computation-intensive work such as computer-aided design (CAD), and many CAD programs will not operate without it. A spreadsheet may use floating point operations if the circuits are available, but it is not mandatory. See vector processor.