A new DSP-oriented algorithm for calculation of the square root using a nonlinear digital filter

A high-speed algorithm for calculating the square root is proposed. This algorithm, which can be regarded as calculation of the step response of a kind of nonlinear IIR filter, requires no divisions. Therefore, it is suitable for a VLSI digital signal processor (DSP) which has a high-speed hardware multiplier but does not usually have a high-speed hardware divider. The convergence properties of the algorithm are analyzed and used to develop a practical implementation of the procedure. It is implemented on the commercially available DSP (TM320C25) and is compared with the Newton-Raphson method. The proposed algorithm has two advantages over the Newton-Raphson method: higher execution speed and smaller calculation error.>