diff --git a/bitvector.cc b/bitvector.cc
index ca630ee..ca91541 100644
--- a/bitvector.cc
+++ b/bitvector.cc
@@ -296,12 +296,13 @@ return n;
 
 //NOTE: naive algorithm, just for testing
 //does not perform modulo irreducible polynomial, is NOT GF(2^n) multiplication
-bitvector bitvector::operator*(const bitvector &rhs) const
+bitvector bitvector::multiply(const bitvector &rhs, bool autoresize) const
 {
-bitvector r(size()+rhs.size());
+int maxsize=size(); if(rhs.size()>maxsize) maxsize=rhs.size();
+bitvector r(autoresize?size()+rhs.size():maxsize);
 r.clear();
 bitvector tmp(rhs);
-tmp.resize(size()+rhs.size(),true);
+if(autoresize) tmp.resize(size()+rhs.size(),true);
 for(int i=0; i<=degree(); ++i)
 	{
 	if((*this)[i]) r+= tmp;
@@ -310,6 +311,60 @@ for(int i=0; i<=degree(); ++i)
 return r;
 }
 
+
+//this is GF(2^n) multiplication
+bitvector bitvector::field_mult(const bitvector &rhs, const bitvector &irpolynom) const
+{
+int d=irpolynom.degree();
+if(d>size()||d>rhs.size()) laerror("inconsistent dimensions in field_mult");
+bitvector r(size());
+r.clear();
+bitvector tmp(*this);
+tmp.resize(size()+1,true);
+int rd=rhs.degree();
+for(int i=0; i<=rd; ++i) //avoid making a working copy of rhs and shifting it
+        {
+        if(rhs[i]) r+= tmp;
+        tmp.leftshift(1,false);
+  	if(tmp[d]) tmp -= irpolynom;
+        }
+return r;
+}
+
+
+
+//this is GF(2^n) multiplicative inverseion
+//cf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Euclidean_algorithm
+bitvector bitvector::field_inv(const bitvector &irpolynom) const
+{
+int d=irpolynom.degree();
+if(d>size()) laerror("inconsistent dimensions in field_inv");
+
+bitvector t(size()); t.clear();
+bitvector newt(size()); newt.clear(); newt.set(0);
+bitvector r(irpolynom); r.copyonwrite();
+bitvector newr(*this); if(r.size()>newr.size()) newr.resize(r.size(),true); newr.copyonwrite();
+int rs=r.size();
+
+
+while(!newr.is_zero())
+	{
+	//std::cout <<"r "<<r<<" newr "<<newr <<" "; std::cout <<"t "<<t<<" newt "<<newt; std::cout <<std::endl;
+	bitvector remainder(rs);
+	bitvector quotient = r.division(newr,remainder);
+	r=newr; newr=remainder;
+	remainder= t - quotient.multiply(newt,false); //avoid size growth
+	t=newt; newt=remainder;
+	}
+
+if(r.degree()>0) laerror("field_inv: polynomial is not irreducible or input is its multiple");
+if(!r[0]) laerror("zero in field_inv");
+
+return t;
+}
+
+
+
 void bitvector::resize(const unsigned int n, bool preserve)
 {
 int old=size(); 
@@ -338,9 +393,9 @@ while((d=remainder.degree()) >= rhsd)
 	{
 	unsigned int pos = d-rhsd;
 	r.set(pos);
-	remainder -= (rhs<<pos);
+	remainder -= rhs<<pos;
 	}
-
+remainder.resize(rhs.size(),true);
 return r;
 }
 
diff --git a/bitvector.h b/bitvector.h
index ae911a0..c23d212 100644
--- a/bitvector.h
+++ b/bitvector.h
@@ -83,13 +83,17 @@ public:
 	bitvector operator^(const bitvector &rhs) const {return bitvector(*this) ^= rhs;};
 	bitvector operator+(const bitvector &rhs) const {return *this ^ rhs;}; //addition modulo 2
 	bitvector operator-(const bitvector &rhs) const {return *this ^ rhs;}; //subtraction modulo 2
-	bitvector operator*(const bitvector &rhs) const; //multiplication of polynomials over GF(2) NOTE: naive algorithm, does not employ CLMUL nor fft-like approach, only for short vectors!!!
+	bitvector multiply(const bitvector &rhs, bool autoresize=true) const; //use autoresize=false only if you know it will not overflow!
+	bitvector operator*(const bitvector &rhs) const {return multiply(rhs,true);}  //multiplication of polynomials over GF(2) NOTE: naive algorithm, does not employ CLMUL nor fft-like approach, only for short vectors!!!
+	bitvector field_mult(const bitvector &rhs, const bitvector &irpolynom) const; //multiplication in GF(2^n)
+	bitvector field_inv(const bitvector &irpolynom) const; //multiplication in GF(2^n)
+	bitvector field_div(const bitvector &rhs, const bitvector &irpolynom) const {return field_mult(rhs.field_inv(irpolynom),irpolynom);};
 	bitvector division(const bitvector &rhs,  bitvector &remainder) const;
 	bitvector operator/(const bitvector &rhs) const {bitvector rem(rhs.size()); return division(rhs,rem);};
 	bitvector operator%(const bitvector &rhs) const {bitvector rem(rhs.size()); division(rhs,rem); return rem;};
-	bitvector gcd(const bitvector &rhs) const;
+	bitvector gcd(const bitvector &rhs) const; //as a polynomial over GF2
 	bitvector lcm(const bitvector &rhs) const {return (*this)*rhs/this->gcd(rhs);};
-        unsigned int bitdiff(const bitvector &y) const; //number of differing bits
+        unsigned int bitdiff(const bitvector &y) const; //number of differing bits (Hamming distance)
 	unsigned int population(const unsigned int before=0) const; //number of 1's
 	unsigned int nlz() const; //number of leading zeroes
 	unsigned int degree() const {if(iszero()) return 0; else return size()-nlz()-1;}; //interprested as a polynomial over GF(2)
diff --git a/t.cc b/t.cc
index a7308c2..7581412 100644
--- a/t.cc
+++ b/t.cc
@@ -2939,11 +2939,23 @@ if(!(u%g).is_zero()) laerror("error in gcd");
 if(!(v%g).is_zero()) laerror("error in gcd");
 }
 
-if(1)
+if(0)
 {
 uint64_t n;
 cin >>n;
 cout <<factorization(n)<<" phi = "<<eulerphi(n)<<endl;
 }
 
+if(1)
+{
+bitvector ir; cin >>ir;
+bitvector a; cin >>a;
+bitvector ai = a.field_inv(ir);
+cout<< "inverse = "<<ai<<endl;
+cout<<"check1 " <<(a*ai)%ir<<endl;
+cout<<"check2 " <<a.field_mult(ai,ir)<<endl;
+
+
+}
+
 }