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From: usenet@abnjh.UUCP (usenet)
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Subject: Re: Beware: Hackers - (nf) - integer division
Message-ID: <400@abnjh.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Jan-84 12:56:45 EST
Article-I.D.: abnjh.400
Posted: Thu Jan 12 12:56:45 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 13-Jan-84 06:59:36 EST
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Organization: ATTIS, NJ
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>> The four most obvious possibilities can be summed
>> up in terms of their effects on a non-zero remainder:
>> 
>> 	1. Remainder has same sign as dividend.
>> 	2. Remainder has same sign as divisor.
>> 	3. Remainder is always positive.
>> 	4. Magnitude of remainder is minimized, with some decision rule
>> 		for resolving ties (e.g. 5 div 2 == <2, 1> or <3, -1>).
>> 
>> 3 is a bit odd.  

Not at all, 3 is what most mathematicians would say is *the* correct
way to divide two integers.  It is most convenient for doing modulo
arithmetic.  The result of doing n mod m is always less than m and
greater or equal to zero.

Rick Thomas