The 16C (or DM16L) is a computer scientist model and not a general scientific calculator, it does not include an exponent function, either arbitrary yx or x². The correct thing to do here is obviously use a suitable device, but for fun I’ve implemented an exponential program on this model. This post documents some of that journey.

The simple way

The really easy and naive way to do this is to repeatedly multiply, the way we all know and understand as a basic principle. This is actually a pretty easy program to write and understand, for a to the power of b we store b-1 in I then use DSZ (Decrement I skip next instruction if I is zero) to multiply a by itself the required amount of times.

This is clearly – slow as shit, becoming even more obvious running it on an 80’s pocket calculator (even if a fancy one).

Implementation:
LBL E // y^x x>=2
1
-
STO I
Rv
ENT
LBL 0
*
LST X
DSZ
GTO 0
x<>y
RTN

Exponentiation by squaring

There is a O(log n) solution to exponent calculation, which I will not go into as wikipedia explains it well. From here on it will be expected you’re familiar with the tail-recursive implementation of the algorithm.

This program will only work while the calculator is in integer mode, it will not work in floating point mode.

We can boil the algorithm down to something like this:

  1. y = 1
  2. n = n/2
  3. n was odd? (check the carry bit after a shift-right)
    • y = x * y
  4. x = x * x
  5. (n > 1) ?
    • GOTO 2
  6. x = x * y
Implementation:
LBL E // Main Exponent Program y^x integer only x>=1
F? 0  // {
GTO 0 //   If flag 0 is set jump to loop otherwise set flag for later entry
SF 0  // }

1     // {
STO I //   Store 1 in `I` (y)
Rv    // }

LBL 0 // Start of Label 0 (Main loop)
1     // { If n = 1 go to the end section (2)
x=y?  //
GTO 2 //
Rv    // }

SR    // { n/2 by shifting right, run odd subroutine if carry flag set
F? 4  //
GSB 1 // }

x<>y  // { x = x * x; then loop
ENTER //
*     //
x<>y  //
GTO E // }

LBL 1 // { n is odd subroutine
x<>I  //   Get the y value from register `I`
x<>y  //   y = x * y; store it, restore stack and return
*     //
LSTx  //
x<>y  //
x<>I  //
RTN   // }

LBL 2 // { Subroutine for ending
CF 0  //   Clear flag 0
Rv    //   x = x * y; then return
x<>I  //
*     //
RTN   // }