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| A '''bignum''' system in a ] or program allows internal representation of arbitrarily large ]s or arbitrarily precise ]s. Numbers are typically stored as (ratios of) digit lists which can grow using dynamically allocated memory. | A '''bignum''' system in a ] or program allows internal representation of arbitrarily large ]s or arbitrarily precise ]s. Numbers are typically stored as (ratios of) digit lists which can grow using dynamically allocated memory. | ||
| First implemented in ], bignum facilities are available in most modern ] and in many other languages (], ], ], ], ]). The ]/] ] offered bignum facilities as a collection of ]. The ] | First implemented in ], bignum facilities are available in most modern ]s and in many other languages (], ], ], ], ]). The ]/] ] offered bignum facilities as a collection of ] ]s. The ] | ||
| is a free ] library that offers bignum features. All ]s contain bignum facilities. | is a ] ] library that offers bignum features. All ]s contain bignum facilities. | ||
| Bignum systems often employ fast ]s. | Bignum systems often employ fast ]s. | ||
Revision as of 17:03, 6 November 2003
A bignum system in a computer or program allows internal representation of arbitrarily large integers or arbitrarily precise rational numbers. Numbers are typically stored as (ratios of) digit lists which can grow using dynamically allocated memory.
First implemented in MacLISP, bignum facilities are available in most modern Lisps and in many other languages (Java, Perl, Ruby, Python, Squeak). The VAX/VMS operating system offered bignum facilities as a collection of string functions. The GNU Multi-Precision Library is a free C library that offers bignum features. All computer algebra systems contain bignum facilities.
Bignum systems often employ fast multiplication algorithms.
See also: large numbers.