Arrangement and method of ascertaining data word number of maximum or minimum in a plurality of data words

Abstract From the Canadian patent

The data words in a list are grouped into n groups. The grouping is performed by selecting the first data word of the list and every nth data word thereafter to form a first group, and then by selecting the next data word of the list and every nth data word thereafter to form a second group and repeating this selection process until n groups are formed. The maximum/minimum among the data words of each of the n groups is determined, and a data word number of the maximum/minimum is ascertained. Subsequently an absolute, data word number of the maximum/minimum of each of said n groups is determined using the data word number obtained and the group number and n. Finally, the absolute data word …