[comp.sys.masscomp] Extended precision arithmetic in FPP's

mfryba@phoenix.princeton.edu (Martin Francis Ryba) (06/08/89)

To those who have problems with 64-bit reals:
  We've got a MC5500, (runs the 68000) and I notice that the FPP is limited
to double precision real #'s.  Meanwhile Motorola has gone ahead and now has
FPP's (68881 I believe) that support something called extended precision
(64 bits for fraction as opposed to 52), a 12-byte entity, that it says
conforms to IEEE Binary Real Standard.

  Does this really exist and is accesible to the programmer?  Is there a
FPP unit that runs on a Masscomp that supports this?  Please email any
good ideas, since the kludges that I envision to get around this are
*really* hairy.

Marty Ryba
Dept. of Physics, Princeton U.
marty%puppsr@phoenix.princeton.edu (most mailers barf on puppsr direct)
mfryba@phoenix.princeton.edu (always works)

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