Algorithms For Dummies

 

   

  PART 6 

 The Part of Tens

Multiplying Really Large Numbers

Really large numbers exist in many places. For example, consider performing the 

calculations involving distances to Mars, or perhaps Pluto. Methods currently do 

exist for performing multiplication on really large numbers, but they tend to be 

slow because they require multiple operations to complete. The problem occurs 

when the numbers are too large to fit in the processor’s registers. At that point, 

the multiplication must occur in more than one step, which slows things consid-

erably. The current solutions include: