Basic Math Operators
| Description | Operator | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Add | + | 1+2=3 |
| Subtract | – | 3-2=1 |
| Multiply | * | 2*3=6 |
| Divide | / | 6/3=2 |
| Floor Division | // | 5//2=2 |
| Remainder | % | 5%2=1 |
| Exponent | ** | 2**3=8 |
Order of Operations (PEMDAS)
The order of operation is crucial because it can significantly affect the outcome of your equation. Remember PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction.
# Without parentheses: multiplication first
result1 = 1 + 2 * 3 # Result: 7 (not 9)
# With parentheses: addition first
result2 = (1 + 2) * 3 # Result: 9
Addition and Subtraction
x = 2
y = 4
# Basic operations
print(x + y) # Output: 6
print(y - x) # Output: 2
# Increment and decrement
x += 1 # Same as x = x + 1
print(x) # Output: 3
y -= 2 # Same as y = y - 2
print(y) # Output: 2
Exponents and Roots
Exponents multiply a number by itself multiple times. Roots are the opposite operation, finding what number multiplied by itself gives the original number.
# Exponents
print(2 ** 3) # Output: 8 (2 * 2 * 2)
print(5 ** 2) # Output: 25 (5 * 5)
# Square roots
print(4 ** (1/2.0)) # Output: 2.0
print(9 ** (1/2.0)) # Output: 3.0
# Cube roots
print(27 ** (1/3.0)) # Output: 3.0
Important: For roots, use (1/2.0) instead of (1/2) to ensure you get a float result, not an integer.