Pre-conditioned divisor trial quotient divider

Claim 1

Apparatus for dividing a dividend by a divisor to produce a quotient, comprising: means for restricting the numerical values of the dividend and the divisor such that the dividend is equal to or less than the divisor and the divisor has a non-zero leading digit; means for normalizing the dividend and the divisor so that the numerical value of the divisor is greater than a predetermined numerical value vo (b-5)/(b-2) where b is the base number; means for determining a trial quotient digit p in accordance with the relationship, p min( (b-1), (b(m+1)-1)/(max(n,bvo))) where p is equal to the minimum of the two terms within the braces, b is the base number, m is the leading digit of the dividend, n is the leading digit of the divisor, the brackets indicate that the contained term is to be truncated to an integer, and, max(n,bvo) indicates that the maximum of the two terms within the parentheses is to be taken; means for generating the multiple of the divisor corresponding to the determined trial quotient digit; means for subtracting the generated multiple of the divisor from the dividend to produce a difference; means for outputting the trial quotient digit as a correct quotient digit if the difference is positive, and; means for successively adding the divisor to the difference if the difference is negative, until the remaining difference is positive, and decrementing the trial quotient digit by one for each successive addition, the decremented trial quotient digit being outputted by the means for outputting as a correct quotient digit.