(FPA) Additional hardware to perform functions on floating-point numbers such as addition, multiplication, logarithms, exponentials, trigonometric functions and various kinds of rounding and error detection. A floating-point accelerator often functions as a ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=co-processor">co-processor to the ref="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=CPU">CPU. The term "floating-point accelerator" suggests a physically larger system, often an extra circuit board, whereas a "floating-point unit" is probably a single chip or even part of a chip. (1994-12-01)
