# Large numbers calculation

I think this question has more mathematical background than computional, then I'm gonna ask it here.

I was thinking about large numbers calculation. Let's say I have the number $16777735$ stored in memory like this:

$256^0$ $256^1$ $256^2$ $256^3$ $256^4$ $256^5$
--$7$----$2$------$0$----$1$-----$0$-----$0$--

How can I write this number to screen, let's say, in base $10$? Imagine that I CANNOT sum all the parts like $7 + 256\cdot2 + 256^3$, like I couldn't deal with a byte of this size. (I'm only interested in the algorithm, so imagine I have a really large number that can't fit in to a byte, this is just an example)

And also, how to calculate, like, lots of digits of $\pi$, with this same method? I need a way to do these calculations. I'm interested in learning, so I'm asking about the mathematical process of this.

Thank you :)

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just a note: --7--2--0--1--0--0-- is 16777735 in base 256. –  udiboy1209 Jul 25 '13 at 7:39
There are many good books with algorithm for base conversion, e.g. Knuth's Seminumerical algorithms or Brent/Zimmermann's Modern Computer Arithmetik <maths.anu.edu.au/~brent/pd/mca-cup-0.5.9.pdf>; @udiboy: you mean base 10 –  gammatester Jul 25 '13 at 8:11
Another very good book is Modern Computer Algebra by Joachim von zur Gathen. It goes however well beyond number representations. –  siddhadev Jul 25 '13 at 8:21