How Can C Handle Arbitrarily Large Numbers?

Big Numbers Library in C

Large numerical computations often demand the handling of numbers that exceed the capacity of native integer data types. In this regard, C lacks a standard library for working with big integers, prompting the need for external libraries.

One widely used non-standard library for big integer arithmetic is the GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library (GMP). It provides a comprehensive set of functions and data structures for handling numbers of arbitrary size, making it suitable for various applications.

The GMP library offers a C class interface, allowing seamless integration with C code. The following example demonstrates its usage:

#include <gmpxx.h>

int main() {
    mpz_class a, b, c;

    a = 1234;
    b = "-5678";
    c = a + b;
    cout << "Sum is " << c << "\n";
    cout << "Absolute value is " << abs(c) << "\n";

    return 0;
}

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