What is the primary function of the FPU?

The primary function of the FPU, or Floating Point Unit, is to handle floating point calculations. In computing, floating point arithmetic is essential for performing operations on real numbers, which can be particularly important for applications involving scientific calculations, graphics processing, and complex mathematical modeling.

Floating point calculations allow for a much wider range of values compared to integer calculations, which are limited to whole numbers. The FPU is designed specifically to execute these floating point operations efficiently, providing support for operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of numbers that may have fractional parts. This specialization enables faster and more accurate computations compared to relying solely on the general purpose CPU for handling such tasks.