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64-bitmultiplication

Multiplication of numbers that have sizes greater than a 64-bit register


For a 64-bit processor, the size of registers are 64 bits. So the maximum bits that can be multiplied together at a time are: a 32 bit number by a 32 bit number. Is this true or are there any other factors that determine the number of bits multiplied by each other?


Solution

  • No - you can not say that.

    That depends on how the algorithm of multiplication is designed. Think about that:

    x * y = x + x + x + ... + x        // y times
    

    You can think of every multiplication as a sum of additions.

    Adding a number to another one is not a thing of registers because you add always two figurs, save the result and the carry-over and go on to the next two figurs till you added the two numbers.

    This way you can multiply very long numbers with a very small register but a large memory to save the result.