Computer Organization and Design RISC-V Edition

3

Arithmetic for Computers

Abstract

This chapter describes how computers handle arithmetic data. It explains that computer words (which are composed of bits) can be represented as binary numbers. While integers can be easily converted to decimal or binary form, fractions and other real numbers can also be converted, as this chapter shows. This chapter also explains what happens if an operation creates a number bigger than can be represented, and answers the question of how the computer hardware multiplies and divides numbers.

Keywords

Computer arithmetic; addition; subtraction; multiplication; division; associativity; x86; Arithmetic Logic Unit; ALU; exception; interrupt; dividend; divisor; quotient; remainder; scientific notation; normalized; ...