Arithmetic Operations

Basic Arithmetic Operations

• A + B — addition
• A - B — subtraction
• A * B — multiplication
• A / B — division (always returns a float)
• A ** B — exponentiation (e.g. square root: x ** 0.5; nth root: x ** (1/n))

There is also a unary minus operator that takes a single argument and returns its negation:

>> -A

Operator Precedence

When several operations appear in one expression, Python applies them in this order:

1. Exponentiation, evaluated right to left (so 3 ** 3 ** 3 is 3 ** (3 ** 3)).
2. Unary minus (negation).
3. Multiplication and division (including *, /, //, %), evaluated left to right.
4. Addition and subtraction, evaluated left to right.

For example:

>> 1 + 2 * 3 ** 1 + 18

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Integer Division and Modulo

The / operator always produces a float. To perform integer (floor) division—discarding any fractional part—use //:

>> 17 // 3
5
>>> -17 // 3
-6

To get the remainder of a division, use the modulo operator %:

>> 17 % 3
2
>>> -17 % 3
1