C#: Use Generic Math for Mathematical Algorithms on Any Numeric Type – Bits of .NET

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C#: Use Generic Math for Mathematical Algorithms on Any Numeric Type

- 05.06.26 - ErcanOPAK

🧮 One Algorithm, Any Number Type

Sum() works on int, double, decimal? Not before. Generic math lets you write math algorithms once for all numeric types.

❌ Before (Duplicated Code)

int Sum(int[] numbers) {
    int total = 0;
    foreach (var n in numbers) total += n;
    return total;
}
double Sum(double[] numbers) {
    double total = 0;
    foreach (var n in numbers) total += n;
    return total;
}

✅ Generic Math (One Function)

T Sum(T[] numbers) where T : INumber
{
    T total = T.Zero;
    foreach (var n in numbers) total += n;
    return total;
}

📝 Generic Math Interfaces

// Numeric interfaces (System.Numerics)
INumber           // Base for all numbers
IAdditionOperators  // +
ISubtractionOperators  // -
IMultiplyOperators  // *
IDivisionOperators  // /
IParsable         // T.Parse()
ISpanParsable     // High-performance parsing

// Example: Average function
public static T Average(IEnumerable numbers) where T : INumber
{
    T sum = T.Zero;
    T count = T.Zero;
    foreach (var n in numbers)
    {
        sum += n;
        count++;
    }
    return sum / count;
}

✅ Real-World Example

public static T Clamp(T value, T min, T max) where T : INumber
{
    if (value < min) return min;
    if (value > max) return max;
    return value;
}

public static T Lerp(T a, T b, T t) where T : IFloatingPoint
{
    return a + (b - a) * t;
}

// Works with any numeric type
int i = Clamp(5, 0, 10);
double d = Clamp(3.14, 0.0, 1.0);
decimal m = Lerp(0.0m, 100.0m, 0.5m); // 50.0m

“Wrote 20 overloads for math functions (int, double, float, decimal). Generic math replaced them with 1 generic function. Less code, fewer bugs, works on all numeric types.”

— Math Library Author

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