A division algorithm is an algorithm which, given two integers N and D, computes their quotient and/or remainder, the result of division. Some are applied by hand, while others are employed by digital circuit designs and software.
Division algorithms fall into two main categories: slow division and fast division. Slow division algorithms produce one digit of the final quotient per iteration. Examples of slow division include restoring, non-performing restoring, non-restoring, and SRT division. Fast division methods start with a close approximation to the final quotient and produce twice as many digits of the final quotient on each iteration. Newton-Raphson and Goldschmidt fall into this category.
Discussion will refer to the form where
- Q = Quotient
- N = Numerator (dividend)
- D = Denominator (divisor).
Read more about Division Algorithm: Division By Repeated Subtraction, Long Division, Integer Division (unsigned) With Remainder, Slow Division Methods, Large Integer Methods, Division By A Constant, Rounding Error
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