5.2: Arithmetic Operators and Numbers
- Page ID
- 469577
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There are 7 arithmetic operators in Python that work for integer and float data types. Addition and multiplication also work for strings.
| Operator | Name | Syntax |
| + | Addition | X+Y |
| - | Subtraction | X_Y |
| * | Multiplication | X*Y |
| ** | Exponentiation | X**Y |
| / | Division | X/Y |
| % | Modulus | X%Y |
| // | Floor Division | X//Y |
Floor Division (//) and Modulus (%)
Floor Division and the modulus at first will often confuse students, so let's refresh your elementary school long division, and note that long division gives the quotient and the modulus gives the remainder.
Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): Floor division gives the quotient and the modulus gives the remainder. (Copyright; Belford CC0.0)Note, this is commonly written as \(dividend \div divisor \; or\; \frac{dividend}{divisor}\)