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From: radford@calgary.UUCP (Radford Neal)
Newsgroups: net.arch
Subject: Re: Right shift vs. divide (change divide!)
Message-ID: <32@calgary.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Jan-86 21:17:27 EST
Article-I.D.: calgary.32
Posted: Wed Jan  8 21:17:27 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jan-86 04:23:24 EST
References: <124000005@ima.UUCP> <4772@alice.UUCP> <1016@turtlevax.UUCP>
Organization: University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
Lines: 17

Rather than get rid of the arithmetic right shift, one could instead
change the divide instruction so it does what mathematicians have
always thought division meant.

Specifically:

      Quotient of -3 divided by 2 should be -2.
      Remainder of -3 divided by 2 should be 1.

With this definition, a right shift divides by two and masking off
the lower bit gives you the remainder.

Does anyone know any reason, other than inertia, why divides shouldn't
be changed to work this way.

      Radford Neal
      The University of Calgary