Micro programming rational arithmetic operations
William I. Thacker, George W. Gorsline · ACM SIGMICRO newsletter/SIGMICRO newsletter/SIGMICRO, TCMICRO newsletter · 1979
For many years, real number arithmetic, whether accomplished in hardware, software, or firmware, has utilized a floating point scheme. This paper summarizes the results of a study assessing rational representation as a possible replacement for floating point representation. The Hewlett-Packard 2100A microprogrammable computer was used as the test vehicle. Both accuracy and speed comparisons were used to judge the usefulness of the substitution.