Implementing decimal floating-point arithmetic through binary: some suggestions

Abstract : We propose several algorithms and provide some related results that make it possible to implement decimal floating-point arithmetic on a processor that does not have decimal operators, using the available binary floating-point functions. In this preliminary study, we focus on round-to-nearest mode only. We show that several functions in decimal32 and decimal64 arithmetic can be implemented using binary64 and binary128 floating-point arithmetic, respectively. Specifically, we discuss the decimal square root and some transcendental functions. We also consider radix conversion algorithms.