Python Arithmetic Operators (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 27 May, 2026

Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical calculations on numbers. These operators help in tasks like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and other basic mathematical operations.

Addition Operator

The + operator is used to combine two values by adding them together. It returns the sum of both operands and is commonly used in mathematical calculations.

Python `

a = 2 b = 3 res = a + b print(res)

`

**Explanation: a + b adds both numbers and returns 5.

Subtraction Operator

The - operator is used to subtract one value from another. It returns the difference between the two operands.

Python `

a = 2 b = 3 res = a - b print(res)

`

**Explanation: a - b subtracts 3 from 2, resulting in -1.

Multiplication Operator

The * operator is used to multiply two values together. It returns the product of the operands.

Python `

a = 2 b = 3 res = a * b print(res)

`

**Explanation: a * b multiplies both numbers and returns 6.

Division Operator

Division operators are used to divide one number by another. Python provides two types of division operators: Float Division (/) and Floor Division (//).

**1. Float Division (/): / operator divides two numbers and always returns the result as a floating-point number.

Python `

print(5 / 5) print(10 / 2) print(-10 / 2) print(20.0 / 2)

`

**Explanation:

• Float division always returns the quotient in decimal form.
• Even when both numbers are integers, the result is returned as a float.

**2. Floor Division (//): // operator divides two numbers and returns the floor value of the quotient.

Python `

print(10 // 3) print(-5 // 2) print(5.0 // 2) print(-5.0 // 2)

`

**Explanation:

• Floor division removes the decimal part of the quotient.
• For negative numbers, the result is rounded down to the nearest smaller integer.

Modulus Operator

The % operator is used to find the remainder left after dividing one number by another. It is commonly used in programs that check divisibility, even or odd numbers and cyclic operations.

Python `

a = 3 b = 2 res = a % b print(res)

`

**Explanation: 3 % 2 divides 3 by 2 and the remainder left after division is 1.

Exponentiation Operator

The ** operator is used to raise a number to the power of another number. It performs repeated multiplication of the first number based on the second number.

Python `

a = 2 b = 3 res = a ** b print(res)

`

**Explanation: 2 ** 3 means 2 × 2 × 2 and the result of the exponentiation is 8.

Precedence of Arithmetic Operators

The table below shows the precedence and associativity of arithmetic operators in Python.