Fast- and Low-Complexity atan2(a,b) Approximation [Tips and Tricks]

This article presents a new entry to the class of published algorithms for the fast computation of the arctangent of a complex number. Our method uses a look-up table (LUT) to reduce computational errors. We also show how to convert a large-sized LUT addressed by two variables to an equivalent-performance smaller-sized LUT addressed by only one variable. In addition, we demonstrate how and why the use of follow-on LUTs applied to other simple arctan algorithms produce unexpected and interesting results.