CORDIC is a term used in computer science for a particular algorithm used in digital signal processing. The spelling of CORDIC is pronounced as /ˈkɔːrdɪk/ with the first syllable being pronounced as "kaw." The word is a shortened form of coordinates digitizer, which is the context in which the algorithm was originally introduced. The spelling is composed of five letters and is relatively simple to remember. The development of the CORDIC algorithm has had a significant impact on digital signal processing and computing in general.
CORDIC is an acronym for Coordinate Rotation Digital Computer, which refers to a computational algorithm used to efficiently compute trigonometric functions, vector magnitudes, and other mathematical operations. It was developed in the 1950s by Jack Volder and popularized by Volder and Peter Stäuble at IBM.
CORDIC is based on the principle of iteratively rotating a vector to achieve the desired result. It is particularly advantageous in applications where hardware resources are limited, such as in real-time signal processing and digital signal processors (DSPs). The algorithm operates by using a series of simple shift-add operations and requires minimal memory and computational resources.
The CORDIC algorithm relies on a table of precomputed values, such as tangent values, to approximate the desired result. By iteratively updating the vector's coordinates through a sequence of rotations, the algorithm gradually converges to the target angle or magnitude.
One of the key advantages of CORDIC is its flexibility to handle different types of computations, including trigonometric, hyperbolic, logarithmic, and exponential functions. Its simplicity and efficiency make it suitable for hardware implementations, facilitating the design of low-power and high-performance systems.
Overall, CORDIC is a powerful and versatile technique for numerical computations that have found widespread applications in various fields, including telecommunications, robotics, graphics, and audio signal processing.