Fixed-Point Arithmetic: The High-Performance Alternative to Floating-Point for Resource-Constrained Systems
Fixed-point arithmetic enables fractional calculations with integer hardware, trading range for resolution to achieve dramatic speedups in embedded and real-time systems. This deep dive explores its implementation, operations, and the 5.3x performance gains demonstrated in real-world applications like the RP2040 microcontroller. Developers will learn when and how to leverage this technique to optimize critical code paths.