A mathematical circuit that performs high-speed floating point operations. It is generally built into the CPU chip; however, in older PCs, such as the 386 and 486SX, the math coprocessor was an optional, separate chip. Floating point capability is very important to computation-intensive CAD work, and many CAD programs will not operate without it. A spreadsheet may use it if available, but it is not mandatory. See array processor and vector processor.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Dell data dump: More energy ammo for the procurement checklist
- Two Dell-related green tech proclamations this week: First, the company has done one of those fun green math exercises and is calculating that its customers have saved an estimated $3 billion in energy costs and 29 million tons in carbon dioxide emissions by using OptiPlex desktop systems since 2005. Whether...
- Blog posts 2008-11-19
- Engineering, tech 'suddenly sexy' for college grads
- As the financial crisis deepens, science and math graduates of top colleges and universities who once flocked to investment banking are now looking to jobs in engineering and technology. Sexy science? Indeed. The article, which appears in BusinessWeek, details how the fall of the...
- Blog posts 2008-11-14
- Wikispaces Webinar - quick note
- A quick note from Wikispaces, via Classroom 2.0: The folks from Wikispaces are running a Classroom 2.0 LIVE Elluminate session tonight on how to get started with educational wikis. This a chance to learn from other educators who are using wikis in education. ...
- Blog posts 2008-11-13
- Al Gore's 'Unified Smart Grid' vision for repowering the USA - will it happen?
- Al Gore's 'Unified Smart Grid' vision for repowering the USA - will it happen?Gore MistakeAl is making a big mistake with marketing this plan.Power transmission is extremely inefficient, and the infrastructure is very costly to maintain. This cannot change with a ‘smart grid’, because no grid is smart enough...
- Discussion threads 2008-11-09
- Using an iPod in a Prius
- Using an iPod in a PriusMy sweet RigI have a 1995 Mitsubishi Pajero with a broken radio, so I put my iPhone in the cup rest (speaker down to bounce the sound up into the car. For radio, I use a coleman emergency light/flashlight/radio that sits in the passenger seat....
- Discussion threads 2008-11-07
- Yes, we can go paperless...so what's the cost/benefit?
- Yes, we can go paperless...so what's the cost/benefit?Preconceived notions....I strongly disagree with your views. I work with inner city kids in Atlanta, you'll be amazed how connected thses kids are and how knowledgeable they are when it comes to computers and technology in general. The benefits is enormous...
- Discussion threads 2008-11-07
- Easy Matrix Calculator (rar)
- Easy Matrix Calculator is a practical math tool to calculator matrice. As you see, it's easy, various, and effectual. Functions include: matrix inverse, matrix transpose, largest component, smallest component, matrix or vector norm, dimension, sum of diagonal elements, determinant, matrix rank, eigenvalues, QR factorization, LU factorization, and cholesky factorization. This...
- Software downloads 2008-11-07
- Easy Matrix Calculator (rar)
- Easy Matrix Calculator is a practical math tool to calculator matrice. As you see, it's easy, various, and effectual. Functions include: matrix inverse, matrix transpose, largest component, smallest component, matrix or vector norm, dimension, sum of diagonal elements, determinant, matrix rank, eigenvalues, QR factorization, LU factorization, and cholesky factorization. This...
- Software downloads 2008-11-07
- Yes, we can go paperless...so what's the cost/benefit?
- Regular readers know that not only am I something of a tree-hugger, but I've recently become convinced that social media (not MySpace and Facebook, but the wide variety of Web 2.0, collaboration, and communication tools available to us on the Web) can have a very important place in education. ...
- Blog posts 2008-11-06
- Dell at Dreamforce: Brave the economy or prepare for the rebound?
- Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Inc., made an interesting observation during a brief appearance on the main stage at the Dreamforce conference. Today's headlines tell us that, around the globe, things are slowing down – the economy, IT spending, investments in new technology and so on. But...
- Blog posts 2008-11-04
- Is George Ou right?
- Is George Ou right?Individualized drillIf every student must learn extensive details by rote, each student can work with a computer to learn at his own pace.Why the periodic table is considered important for all I'm uncertain. But so long as it must be learned, let the computer do the...
- Discussion threads 2008-11-04
- Is George Ou right?
- Former ZDNet blogger, George Ou, is always good for a discussion of educational technology. As he wrote on my post yesterday ("Enough already with the Luddite schools"), I'm no luddite and I remember carrying an electric typewriter to a High School English class for a...
- Blog posts 2008-11-04
- Enough already with the Luddite schools
- Enough already with the Luddite schoolsI think middle school is better for tech than primary.I would rather see hand written reports up to and including 4th grade. Technology is great but so far cognitive scientists have not created a device that rivals the human brain. If you don't develop all...
- Discussion threads 2008-11-03
- Enough already with the Luddite schools
- We have a great private school right next door to my house. It's K-6, wonderfully crunchy, and cranking out socially conscious kids at a reasonable price. The teachers are outstanding, dedicated, and unbound by NCLB. So why isn't my youngest there? It's next door and almost...
- Blog posts 2008-11-02
- Software and business method patents take a hit
- Software and business method patents take a hitIf you want to see technology take off...completely do away with patents and copyrights. Once you free new technology to be improved by all and not just its owner, technology will finally reach its potential.Good news for technology consultantsThe biggest winners from...
- Discussion threads 2008-11-01
- Highlights from NetApplications data for October - Linux market share drops
- Highlights from NetApplications data for October - Linux market share dropsIn coming!!! Linux zealots' Mass Weapn of Denial. Dodge!NT.Can you please talk about other thingsThis post is boring. It doesn't really matters if nobody want to use Linux as long as they happy. I use it and I don't really...
- Discussion threads 2008-11-01
- Blu-ray is dead: the sequel
- Blu-ray is dead: the sequelI prefer physical media tooThe question is, when will I - and most consumers - make Blu-ray the default? Dark Knight I'll get on Blu-ray someday - the fabulous 8k special effects work makes it worth while. But romantic comedies? Never. Thanks for commenting.RobinDigital d/ls are...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-31
- Bullish Cross: Apple is an undervalued stock prize
- Bullish Cross: Apple is an undervalued stock prizeuh... math skillz.8.23% of the internet using market has any mac.5.80 have intel2.43 have ppcit ain't half :Pheck its less than a third(29.5%)What absolute garbage...'objective' view?What absolute garbage, the only company which is "radically undervalued [company] in the tech sector on an objective...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-30
- Microsoft drops more new codenames, including another 'Mojave'
- Microsoft drops more new codenames, including another 'Mojave'Here we go againFocusing again on codenames instead of Microsoft's inability to deliver meaningful compelling products.There was a blog on zdnet just a few days ago that Apple will probably surpass Microsoft in market cap with just a tiny slice of the computer...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-30
- Duplicating your keys without your knowledge
- Duplicating your keys without your knowledgeSo why on earth......would ANYONE put pictures of their keys online?And pictures of their driver's licenses and credit cards?Seems like Darwinism at its best!And nothing amazing hereAs people could have been duplicating keys from a photo without any special software.As long as you know the...
- Discussion threads 2008-10-30
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Intel Xeon 7400 highlights available now!
-
With key platform innovations built-in, the Intel Xeon processor 7400 series offers more headroom, reliability, and the highest expandability for large-scale server consolidation. See highlights from Summer IDF, SAP Tech-Ed, VMWorld, and more.
- Get blogs, videos and more from past tech events >>
Fusion
- There’s a new energy coming from the people of AMD. Its the power of Fusion.
- Learn about the power of fusion at work and the industry-changing impact of accelerated computing.
-
- View AMD video, case studies, blogs, forums, and more on ZDNet »
-
