Let’s go over how basic math operations work in Python.

Addition (+)

a = 10
b = 5
result = a + b
print(result)  # Output: 15

Subtraction (-)

a = 10
b = 5
result = a - b
print(result)  # Output: 5

Multiplication (*)

a = 10
b = 5
result = a * b
print(result)  # Output: 50

In Python, you can multiply an int with a float. The result will always be a float.

This happens because Python automatically converts the integer to a float.

Division (/)

Division always returns a floating point number (float), even if the result is a whole number.

a = 10
b = 5
result = a / b
print(result)  # Output: 2.0

Even 1 / 1 will return 1.0.

Integer Division (//)

Returns only the integer part of the division (truncates the decimal).

a = 10
b = 3
result = a // b
print(result)  # Output: 3

Modulo (%)

Returns the remainder of a division.

a = 10
b = 3
result = a % b
print(result)  # Output: 1

Exponentiation (**)

a = 2
b = 3
result = a ** b
print(result)  # Output: 8 (2 raised to the power of 3)

Shorthand Operations

Python supports shorthand notation for arithmetic operations.

a = 10
a += 5  # Same as a = a + 5
print(a)  # Output: 15

a *= 2  # Same as a = a * 2
print(a)  # Output: 30

If at least one of the operands is a floating-point number (float), the result will always be a float.

This rule applies to all arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.