Question

In your μltiplication procedure, μltiply two numbers not using μl but by combining a fixed number of shift and add commands. For this part, you only need to be able to handle 8-bit numbers, so you don't need to use a loop.

a) True
b) False

Answer 1

It is true that two 8-bit numbers can be multiplied by combining a fixed number of shift and add operations. The procedure is known as shift-and-add in binary arithmetic and is fundamental to computer architecture.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks whether it is possible to multiply two 8-bit numbers using a fixed number of shift and add operations instead of a traditional multiplication command. The answer is true. In binary arithmetic, multiplication by 2 can be achieved through a simple left shift operation, and addition can be used to combine shifted values to get the final result. This method of multiplication, known as shift-and-add, is a fundamental concept in computer architecture for executing multiplication operations.

Multiplication and division are related operations; dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. This principle applies to computer operations as well, where such transformations can optimize arithmetic procedures. For instance, dividing by 8 (23) is equivalent to three consecutive right shifts in binary.

The unit for one million bytes of computer memory is the megabyte (MB). Multiplying or dividing both sides of an equation by the same number preserves equality, which is a critical principle in solving equations and also can be applied to understanding units conversion.