I need to divide very large numbers in java without using any external libraries (Homework)

Question

I need to be able to do 1938757289258398239399949292934/14583949053930202 without using any external java functions or libraries. I have each digit of my numbers stored in a linked list. What else can I do?

Can someone help me divide an algorithm. I've been trying at it for a few hours now and i'm not getting anywhere.

This is just long division using two lists of digits in a computer instead of two lists of digits written on paper. — Alexander Corwin
– Alexander Corwin, Commented Feb 24, 2012 at 22:27

Louis Wasserman · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-24 22:29:04Z

4

"External" Java libraries? (BigInteger is built-in, if you can use that.)

Otherwise, the simplest approach to division is probably binary, as follows. You know that log(a/b) = log(a) - log(b), so you have an estimate on the number of bits in the result. Let r be the result. In pseudocode,

for i = the most significant bit the result could have, iterating down to 0
  if (r + 2^i) * b <= a
    r += 2^i

answered Feb 24, 2012 at 22:29

Louis Wasserman

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