A fast logarithm converter

Divisions, square and square root operations or, in general, exponentiations are performed frequently in computer graphics algorithms, but are either slow if done by software or expensive if implemented in hardware. An elegant way to solve this problem is to transform the operands into the logarithm, turning divisions into subtractions and exponentiations into multiplications, and the results back into the number domain. However, significant gains in performance and costs can only be achieved if the converters are compact and fast. We describe the design principles of a pipelined logarithm converter, which is scalable with respect to speed, precision and chip space