What is an FPU?
Q: What is an FPU?
A: An FPU is a part of a computer system designed to carry out operations on floating point numbers.
Q: What are typical operations that can be performed by an FPU?
A: Typical operations that can be performed by an FPU include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root.
Q: What are some advanced functions that some systems can perform?
A: Some systems can perform more advanced functions, such as exponential or trigonometric functions calculations.
Q: Are these advanced functions calculated by hardware or software?
A: In most modern processors, advanced functions are done with software library routines, not by hardware.
Q: Are FPUs integrated into most modern general purpose CPUs?
A: Yes, in most modern general purpose CPUs, one or more FPUs are integrated inside the CPU.
Q: Do all embedded microcontrollers have hardware support for floating point operations?
A: No, many embedded microcontrollers, especially older designs, do not have hardware support for floating point operations.
Q: What happens in the absence of an FPU?
A: In the absence of an FPU, many FPU functions can be emulated, which saves the added hardware cost of an FPU but is significantly slower.
