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Asked: 2026-05-10T19:08:47+00:00

I’d like to implement a big int class in C++ as a programming exercise—a

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I’d like to implement a big int class in C++ as a programming exercise—a class that can handle numbers bigger than a long int. I know that there are several open source implementations out there already, but I’d like to write my own. I’m trying to get a feel for what the right approach is.

I understand that the general strategy is get the number as a string, and then break it up into smaller numbers (single digits for example), and place them in an array. At this point it should be relatively simple to implement the various comparison operators. My main concern is how I would implement things like addition and multiplication.

I’m looking for a general approach and advice as opposed to actual working code.

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  1. Things to consider for a big int class:

    1. Mathematical operators: +, -, /, *, % Don’t forget that your class may be on either side of the operator, that the operators can be chained, that one of the operands could be an int, float, double, etc.

    2. I/O operators: >>, << This is where you figure out how to properly create your class from user input, and how to format it for output as well.

    3. Conversions/Casts: Figure out what types/classes your big int class should be convertible to, and how to properly handle the conversion. A quick list would include double and float, and may include int (with proper bounds checking) and complex (assuming it can handle the range).

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