To perform division with signed integers alone and achieve the same result as with unsigned division, we need to use the concept of two's complement.
Two's complement is a mathematical operation that allows us to represent negative integers by inverting all the bits and adding one to the result.
To divide two signed integers using two's complement:
For example, let's divide -6 by 3 using two's complement:
Convert -6 and 3 to their two's complement representation: -6 = 11111010 (two's complement) 3 = 00000011 (two's complement)
Divide the two numbers using unsigned division: 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 (dividend)
0 0 0 1 1 (remainder) 1 1 0 0 1 (quotient)
The result is negative (-3) because the dividend was negative. Convert it back to two's complement: -3 = 11111101 (two's complement)
Therefore, -6 ÷ 3 = -3 using two's complement.
Asked: 2023-06-22 05:03:49 +0000
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Last updated: Jun 22 '23