[Python-Dev] Tail recursion

Aahz aahz at pythoncraft.com
Thu Nov 27 12:50:39 EST 2003


On Thu, Nov 27, 2003, Andrew Koenig wrote:
>Tim Peters:
>>
>> A different approach makes iteration much more natural:  the number of
>> digits in n (>= 0) is the least i >= 1 such that 10**i > n.  Then
>> iterative
>> code is an obvious search loop:
>> 
>>     i = 1
>>     while 10**i <= n:
>>         i += 1
>>     return i
> 
> This code relies on 10**i being exact.  Is that guaranteed?

For Python ints, yes.
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

Weinberg's Second Law: If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote 
programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.



More information about the Python-Dev mailing list