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From: hansen@mips.UUCP (Craig Hansen)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c,net.arch,net.math
Subject: Re: Integer division
Message-ID: <315@mips.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Feb-86 12:59:38 EST
Article-I.D.: mips.315
Posted: Wed Feb  5 12:59:38 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Feb-86 20:48:55 EST
References: <11603@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <4917@alice.UUCP> <11671@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <1671@utah-gr.UUCP>
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Mountain View, CA
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Xref: watmath net.lang.c:7781 net.arch:2472 net.math:2792

I assume that everyone else is as sick and tired of seeing this dead horse
beaten as I am, but I find a point still unstated.

Several people have asked for mathematical reasons for choosing integer
division with rounding to - infinity rather than zero.  I submit the
following:

   If you wish to compute an approximation to a/b
   to the NEAREST integer, when a/b is rounded to
   minus infinity, you can use (a+a+b)/(b+b).
   I can think of no expression except those
   that involve conditionals for which this can
   be done when a/b is rounded to zero.

Craig Hansen
MIPS Computer Systems
...decvax!decwrl!mips!hansen