Calculate 7n/8 without using division and multiplication operators

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

Given an integer, write a function that calculates ?7n/8? (ceiling of 7n/8) without using division and multiplication operators.
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Method 1: 
The idea is to first calculate floor of n/8, i.e., ?n/8? using right shift bitwise operator. The expression n>>3 produces the same. 
If we subtract ?n/8? from n, we get ?7n/8?

Below is the implementation of above idea :  

C++
// C++ program to evaluate ceil(7n/8)
// without using * and /
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int multiplyBySevenByEight(int n)
{
    
    // Note the inner bracket here. This is needed
    // because precedence of '-' operator is higher
    // than '<<' 
    return (n - (n >> 3));
}

// Driver code
int main()
{
    int n = 9;
    cout << multiplyBySevenByEight(n);
    return 0;
}

// This code is contributed by khushboogoyal499
C
// C program to evaluate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /
#include <stdio.h>

int multiplyBySevenByEight(unsigned int n)
{
    /* Note the inner bracket here. This is needed
       because precedence of '-' operator is higher
       than '<<' */
    return (n - (n >> 3));
}

/* Driver program to test above function */
int main()
{
    unsigned int n = 9;
    printf("%d", multiplyBySevenByEight(n));
    return 0;
}
Java
// Java program to evaluate ceil(7n/8)
// without using * and
import java.io.*;

class GFG {
    static int multiplyBySevenByEight(int n)
    {
        /* Note the inner bracket here. This is needed
        because precedence of '-' operator is higher
        than '<<' */
        return (n - (n >> 3));
    }

    // Driver code
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        int n = 9;
        System.out.println(multiplyBySevenByEight(n));
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Anshika Goyal.
Python3
# Python program to evaluate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /


def multiplyBySevenByEight(n):

    # Note the inner bracket here. This is needed
    # because precedence of '-' operator is higher
    # than '<<'
    return (n - (n >> 3))


# Driver program to test above function */
n = 9
print(multiplyBySevenByEight(n))

# This code is contributed by
# Smitha Dinesh Semwal
C#
// C# program to evaluate ceil(7n/8)
// without using * and
using System;

public class GFG {

    static int multiplyBySevenByEight(int n)
    {
        /* Note the inner bracket here.
        This is needed because precedence
        of '-' operator is higher than
        '<<' */
        return (n - (n >> 3));
    }

    // Driver code
    public static void Main()
    {
        int n = 9;

        Console.WriteLine(multiplyBySevenByEight(n));
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Sam007.
JavaScript
<script>
// JavaScript program to evaluate ceil(7n/8) without using * and / 

function multiplyBySevenByEight(n) 
{ 
    /* Note the inner bracket here. This is needed 
    because precedence of '-' operator is higher 
    than '<<' */
    return (n - (n>>3)); 
} 

/* Driver program to test above function */

    let n = 9; 
    document.write(multiplyBySevenByEight(n)); 

// This code is contributed by Surbhi Tyagi.

</script>
PHP
<?php
// PHP program to evaluate ceil
// (7n/8) without using * and 

function multiplyBySevenByEight( $n)
{
    // Note the inner bracket here. 
    // This is needed because 
    // precedence of '-' operator 
    // is higher than '<<' 
    
    return ($n - ($n >> 3));
}

// Driver Code
$n = 9;
echo multiplyBySevenByEight($n);

// This code is contributed by Ajit
?>

Output : 

8

Time Complexity: O(1)

Auxiliary Space: O(1)


Method 2 (Always matches with 7*n/8): 
The above method doesn't always produce result same as "printf("%u", 7*n/8)". For example, the value of expression 7*n/8 is 13 for n = 15, but above program produces 14. Below is modified version that always matches 7*n/8. The idea is to first multiply the number with 7, then divide by 8 as it happens in expression 7*n/8. 

C++
// C++ program to evaluate 7n/8 without using * and /
#include<iostream>
using namespace std;

int multiplyBySevenByEight(unsigned int n)
{    
    /* Step 1) First multiply number by 7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) -n
     * Step 2) Divide result by 8 */
   return ((n << 3) -n) >> 3;
}

/* Driver program to test above function */
int main()
{
    unsigned int n = 15;
    cout<<" "<< multiplyBySevenByEight(n);
    return 0;
}

// This code is contributed by shivanisinghss2110
C
// C program to evaluate 7n/8 without using * and /
#include<stdio.h>

int multiplyBySevenByEight(unsigned int n)
{    
    /* Step 1) First multiply number by 7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) -n
     * Step 2) Divide result by 8 */
   return ((n << 3) -n) >> 3;
}

/* Driver program to test above function */
int main()
{
    unsigned int n = 15;
    printf("%u", multiplyBySevenByEight(n));
    return 0;
}
Java
// Java program to evaluate 7n/8 
// without using * and /
import java.io.*;

class GFG
{

    static int multiplyBySevenByEight(int n)
    { 
        // Step 1) First multiply number 
        // by 7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) -n
        // * Step 2) Divide result by 8 
        return ((n << 3) -n) >> 3;
    }
    
    // Driver program 
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        
        int n = 15;
        System.out.println(multiplyBySevenByEight(n));
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Anshika Goyal.
Python3
# Python3 program to evaluate 7n/8 
# without using * and /

def multiplyBySevenByEight(n):
    
    #Step 1) First multiply number 
    # by 7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) -n
    # Step 2) Divide result by 8 
    return ((n << 3) -n) >> 3;
    
# Driver code
n = 15;
print(multiplyBySevenByEight(n));

#this code is contributed by sam007.
C#
// C# program to evaluate 7n/8 
// without using * and /
using System;

public class GFG {
    
    static int multiplyBySevenByEight(int n)
    { 
        
        // Step 1) First multiply number 
        // by 7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) -n
        // * Step 2) Divide result by 8 
        return ((n << 3) -n) >> 3;
    }
    
    // Driver program 
    public static void Main()
    {
        int n = 15;
        
        Console.WriteLine(
            multiplyBySevenByEight(n));
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Sam007.
JavaScript
<script>

// Javascript program to evaluate 7n/8 
// without using * and /
function multiplyBySevenByEight(n)
{ 
    
    // Step 1) First multiply number 
    // by 7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) -n
    // * Step 2) Divide result by 8 
    return ((n << 3) -n) >> 3;
}

// Driver code
var n = 15;

document.write(multiplyBySevenByEight(n));

// This code is contributed by shikhasingrajput 

</script>
PHP
<?php
// PHP program to evaluate 7n/8
// without using * and /

function multiplyBySevenByEight( $n)
{ 
    
     /* Step 1) First multiply number by
                7 i.e. 7n = (n << 3) - n
         Step 2) Divide result by 8 */
    return (($n << 3) -$n) >> 3;
}

    // Driver Code
    $n = 15;
    echo multiplyBySevenByEight($n);

// This code is contributed by anuj_67.
?>

Output : 

13

Time Complexity: O(1)

Auxiliary Space: O(1)


Note : There is difference between outcomes of two methods. The method 1 produces ceil(7n/8), but method two produces integer value of 7n/8. For example, for n = 15, outcome of first method is 14, but for second method is 13.

Thanks to Narendra Kangralkar for suggesting this method.

Approach:

  • Multiply the number n by 7 using the following steps.
  • Left shift n by 3 positions (multiply n by 8).
  • Subtract n from the result obtained in the previous step.
  • To calculate the ceiling of 7n/8, add 7 to the result obtained in step 1.
  • Right shift the result obtained in step 2 by 3 positions to divide it by 8.

Below is the implementation of this approach:

C++
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// Function to calculate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /
int calculateCeiling(int n) {
    int result = ((n << 3) - n + 7) >> 3;
    return result;
}

// Driver code
int main() {
    int n = 9;
    cout << calculateCeiling(n) << endl;
    return 0;
}
Java
// Java code of the above approach
import java.util.*;

public class GFG {
    // Function to calculate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /
    static int calculateCeiling(int n)
    {
        int result = ((n << 3) - n + 7) >> 3;
        return result;
    }

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        int n = 9;
        System.out.println(calculateCeiling(n));
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Susobhan Akhuli
Python3
# // Python code of the above approach
# Function to calculate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /
def calculateCeiling(n):
    result = ((n << 3) - n + 7) >> 3
    return result

# Driver code
if __name__ == "__main__":
    n = 9
    print(calculateCeiling(n))

# This code is contributed by Susobhan Akhuli
C#
using System;

class Program
{
    // Function to calculate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /
    static int CalculateCeiling(int n)
    {
        // Shift n left by 3 bits (equivalent to multiplying by 8)
        // Subtract n from the result
        // Add 7 to the result
        // Shift the result right by 3 bits (equivalent to dividing by 8)
        int result = ((n << 3) - n + 7) >> 3;
        return result;
    }

    // Driver code
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        int n = 9;
        Console.WriteLine(CalculateCeiling(n));
    }
}
JavaScript
// JavaScript code for the above approach

// Function to calculate ceil(7n/8) without using * and /
function calculateCeiling(n) {
    // Calculate the result using bitwise operations
    let result = ((n << 3) - n + 7) >> 3;
    return result;
}

let n = 9;
document.write(calculateCeiling(n));

// This code is contributed by Susobhan Akhuli

Output:

8

Time Complexity: O(1), as it only involves a few bitwise operations regardless of the input value n. 
Space Complexity: O(1) since it does not require any additional space that grows with the input size.

This article is contributed by Rajeev.

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