Motorola 68881 FPU
A coprocessor is a processor that serves to complement the functions of the main processor or CPU. A coprocessor allows to perform certain processor-intensive tasks without charging the main processor. Existing functionalities include memory management, floating point operations, graphical functions, signal processing, string editing and encryption. Coprocessors are optional, allowing a customer to choose a system with or without the coprocessor, with different price points.
Coprocessors first appeared on mainframes. In the 80's and 90's, there were various coprocessors for the leading brands of microprocessors Intel and Motorola. Intel
Intel's well-known coprocessors were FPU's 80287 and 80387. There were also independent coprocessors like Cyrix, IIT and Weitek. Motorola
Known coprocessors within the Motorola 68000 family were 68851 MMU and 68881 and 68882 FPUs. Also see
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