Patent ID: 6256656
Filing Date: 2001-07-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
In a computer system having a plurality of hardware elements of a fixed precision, a method for extending the computational precision of the computer system beyond the fixed precision of the hardware elements, comprising the steps of:a) receiving a first operand and a second operand as inputs for a division to be performed by the computer system, the first and second operands being integers;b) determining whether the first and second operands exceed the fixed precision of the hardware elements;c) performing the division to compute an estimated result using the plurality of hardware elements adapted to implement modular division for extending the computational precision, wherein a modular representation of the second operand is selectively adjusted such that the modular division is valid, provided at least one of the first and second operands exceeds the fixed precision of the hardware elements; andd) returning the estimated result for further processing by the computer system.