This particular problem (number of digits in a number) is actually monumentally important for performance reasons for e.g. json generation. See https://m.facebo

This particular problem (number of digits in a number) is actually monumentally important for performance reasons for e.g. json generation. See https://m.facebook.com/notes/facebook-engineering/three-optimization-tips-for-c/10151361643253920/ https://m.facebook.com/notes/facebook-engineering/three-opti... for details. That said, I do agree that as stated the problem is a toy. The problem statement could at least motivate the lack of string operations - i.e. pretend you’re the language designer and you’re tasked with implementing str(int) in C. Just saying “don’t do that” isn’t helpful. Gaining an understanding that nothing is magical is useful though.