Project Euler is a website dedicated to computational problems intended to be solved with computer programs.
At the time of this writing, it includes over 400 problems, with a new one added every week.
Problems are of varying difficulty but each is solvable in less than a minute using an efficient algorithm on a modestly powered computer.
I have already solved some of the problem, mainly using J (a language in the APL family) or Python.
Last year I learned ABAP and now, to test my skill with it, I decide to solve some of the Project Euler problem using ABAP.
To be able to execute ABAP programs, I have installed a SAP NetWeaver Trial Version ABAP (Windows) under VirtualBox.
The 5th problem (Smallest multiple) can be solved with the help of the ABAP function GCD:
2520 is the smallest number that can be divided by each of the numbers from 1 to 10 without any remainder.
What is the smallest positive number that is evenly divisible by all of the numbers from 1 to 20?
In J the solution is given by
*./1+i.20
232792560
An ABAP solution is below (run the program to see the solution).
It suffice to loop on the number between 1 and 20, accumulating the least common multiple at each loop.
REPORT ZMLA_EULER_005.
DATA: lcm TYPE F VALUE 1, "least common multiple
n TYPE F VALUE 1,
stop TYPE F VALUE 20,
gcd TYPE F,
s TYPE STRING.
WHILE n <= stop.
CALL FUNCTION 'GCD'
EXPORTING
I_NUMERATOR = lcm
I_DENOMINATOR = n
IMPORTING
E_GCD = gcd.
lcm = lcm * n / gcd. "lcm( a, b ) is a * b / gcd( a, b )
n = n + 1.
ENDWHILE.
s = |The solution is { lcm }|.
WRITE / s.
