math coprocessor

math coprocessor

[¦math ′kō‚prä‚ses·ər]

(computer science)

numeric processor extension

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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.

Built In Today
In earlier desktop computers, math coprocessors were stand-alone chips that were added to the motherboard. Today, math circuits are built into the CPU chip. See vector processor.

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