" 'Let CD, measuring BF, leave FA less than itself | ' This is a neat abbreviation for saying, measure along BA successive lengths equal to CD until a point F is reached such that the length FA remaining is less than CD; in other words, let BF be the largest exact multiple of CD contained in BA" Heath 1908:297• For modern treatments using division in the algorithm see Hardy and Wright 1979:180, Knuth 1973:2 Volume 1 , plus more discussion of Euclid's algorithm in Knuth 1969:293-297 Volume 2 |
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other criteria are the adaptability of the algorithm to computers, its simplicity and elegance, etc |