A system including an integrated circuit chip also includes a microcontroller in the chip and an algorithm for execution by the microcontroller. The algorithm includes addition, subtraction, and multiplication operators (e.g. 25,15,20) and shift-left and shift-right operators (e.g., 48,21) configured for solving particular equations (Eqns. 1-4). Input numbers are within particular ranges to allow the shift operators to shift binary bits so each number so it fits within a register of a particular width. An IR sensor (4) may convert IR radiation (3) to produce a voltage (Vobj) representing the temperature (Tobj) of an IR emitting object (2). The algorithm (100) operates in conjunction with the microcontroller (7) to convert the voltage (Vobj) into a value representing the temperature (Tobj) of the remote object (2) without keeping track of decimal points and resolution of the numbers.