Maths Co-Processors

I want to know how Maths Co-Processors are made and how they work. I do understand that these are based upon electrical (yet chemical) switches, but how do they calculate things ?

I don't understand how switching something on and off not only make something tick but also make it do much more.
I get it that it can turn on and off but how does it consider a certain given number and adds that with another number and give the result ?! That is just mind blowing to me.

I tried to look for answers but I couldn't find any. I also want to know about other (Main CPU) processor(s) but I am keeping that for another question.

Thank You !

Both the CPU and that math coprocessor (now a part of the CPU) work in the same way --- using logic gates to implement the actual logic, using flip flops for registers, and using RAM for cache.

Mathematical operations are implemented as a combination of circuits (collections of logic gates) and tables (a type of memory). Their exact implementation depends on the processor, and can be quite complicated and hard to get right (see for example the Pentium FDIV debacle).

To know more, consult a textbook like The Elements of Computing Systems.

StackExchange Computer Science Q#54680, answer score: 3