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Thread: Question in Assembly Language

  1. #1
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    Question in Assembly Language

    Hello, everyone
    I am fairly new to this site, but i know you guys really know your stuff. I am a second year computer science major and i am currently in Assembly Language. My questions is: How can i find the median of a list of numbers? I am trying to use a SHR or SHL....
    If any of you could help, i would much appreciate it.
    Thank you
    TL

    anthony leicher

  2. #2
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    Can you explain much what you mean by the median of a list of numbers.

    What I understand is that you have for example : 1,3,4,5,7 so the median is 4. I think the numbers are store in an array. You just have to count how numbers you have and divide by 2 to have the position of the median number (the list have to be sort).

    The SHR and SHL just Shift a number (in binary), not a list of number. SHR for Shift Right and SHL for Shift Left. if you do shr ax, 2 and [ax]=10 ( 1010 in binary) then the result is 2 (0010). It usefull to do multiplie or divide by a power of 2 (it's quicker than the mul or div)

  3. #3
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    You should indeed indicate what exactly you're trying to do here.
    I believe indeed the median of a list is the center number, or the average value.
    What kind of list are you using?

    Right on Ghostdog, he ain't gonna get it done using SHR and SHL.

    Grtz.

  4. #4
    so you'll probably start off with an array of numbers. generally in exercise like this you are either given the size or the array will be terminated with some kind of null character. here's some dumb pseudocode:

    1) find length L of array a[] (either given or count until you reach terminating character)
    2) sort a[] (probably easiest just to use bubble sort)
    3) use SHR to divide array size L by 2
    4) a[L/2] is the median

    the hardest, and most essential part of the assignment is to sort the array, unless of course it's already sorted. you can probably find some reference code somewhere if you get stuck.

  5. #5
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    greetings, what language are you trying to assemble? 8086, 68K etc.

    Code:
    equ PROGRAM $2000
    equ DATA $6000
    
       org PROGRAM
       lea ARRAY,A0
       move.W #0,d0   //d0 == counter
       move.W #0,d1   //d1 == stores element of the array
       move.W #0,d2   //d2 == running total
    loop: move.W (A0)+,d1
       cmp #0,d1
       beq DONE
       add.W d1,d2
       add.W #1,d0
       bra loop
    
    DONE divs d2,d0
       move.W d0,RESULT
    
       org DATA
    ARRAY DC.W 1,6,3,5,7,8,9,4,6,5,0
    RESULT DS.W 1
    this might work, but i haven't tested it 'cause i think you are doing 8086.
    Hmm...theres something a little peculiar here. Oh i see what it is! the sentence is talking about itself! do you see that? what do you mean? sentences can\'t talk! No, but they REFER to things, and this one refers directly-unambigeously-unmistakably-to the very sentence which it is!

  6. #6
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    I am sorry for not specifying which assembly i am using... It is 80x86 Masm 615... I am very new to ASM and I appreciate your replies to my post. I indeed believe that moby pinpointed what i am trying to do. It was just an idea, but i am going to give it a shot. I am a firm believer of efficient code and I do, however, have one more thing to ask... and that is whether or not i can fine tune this block of code:

    sort PROC

    push count
    mov ecx, count
    mov esi, offset array
    mov edi, offset array
    add edi, 4

    L8:
    push ecx
    mov esi, offset array
    mov edi, offset array
    add edi, 4

    L3:
    mov eax,[esi]
    mov ebx,[edi]
    cmp eax,[edi]
    ja next
    mov [edi], eax
    mov [esi], ebx
    next:
    add esi, 4
    add edi, 4
    loop L3
    pop ecx

    loop L8
    mov ecx, count
    mov esi, offset array

    T:
    mov eax, [esi]
    call WriteInt
    add esi, 4
    call Crlf
    loop T

    ;average
    mov esi, offset array
    mov ecx, count
    mov eax, 0
    mov edx, 0

    L4:
    add eax, [esi]
    add esi, 4
    loop L4

    mov ebx, count
    idiv ebx

    mov edx, offset message3
    call WriteString
    call WriteInt
    call Crlf

    ;median
    mov esi, offset array
    mov eax, count
    and count, 1h
    mov edx, 0
    mov ebx, 2
    idiv ebx
    jz a
    inc eax
    mov ecx, eax
    jmp here
    a:
    mov ecx, eax

    here:

    L5:
    mov eax, [esi]
    add esi, 4
    loop L5
    mov edx, offset message4
    call WriteString
    call WriteInt
    call Crlf
    pop count
    ret

    sort ENDP

    I am simply asking if anyone has any tips that might make my code more efficient... I am working on fine tuning the median section as we "speak." i promise this is the last thing i'll bug you guys for... thanks for your help...
    TL

    woah i didnt mean to post all that... im just workin on maybe trying something else for the actual sort routine

    i really needed to document that
    you guys must think i am a total idiot
    anthony leicher

  7. #7
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    There's a very good book about asembly language (using MASM), called The Art of Assembly (programming?)

    You can learn a lot of things from it...

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