Patent ID: 7617268

Claim:
A method comprising the step of operating an arithmetic circuit approximating one of a square-root of a number, a reciprocal of said number, and a reciprocal-square-root of said number to create a resulting-number, comprising the steps of: an said arithmetic circuit receiving said number and an instruction to create said resulting-number, further comprising the steps of a log-calculator receiving said number to create a log-domain-number containing a fixed-point-part and asserting a negative infinity indicator when said number is the zero-number; a log-arithmetic-unit receiving said log-domain-number and said instruction to create an altered-log-domain-number containing a second of said negative infinity indicator set as said negative infinity indicator contained in said log-domain-number when said instruction indicates a log-shift-down; and an exponential-calculator receiving said altered-log-domain-number to create said resulting-number as said zero-number when said altered-log-domain-number contains said second negative infinity indicator as asserted and when said instruction indicates a log-shift-down, said resulting-number approximating said square-root of said number.