Math in Python ================= division can be a touch odd. Here are some interesting examples of division: >>> 17 / 3 # classic division returns a float 5.666666666666667 >>> >>> 17 // 3 # floor division discards the fractional part 5 >>> 17 % 3 # the % operator returns the remainder of the division 2 >>> 5 * 3 + 2 # result * divisor + remainder 17 division operators: * // floor division; division that rounds down to nearest integer. * % calculate just the remainder from division. Also you can calculate powers: >>> 5 ** 2 # 5 squared 25 >>> 2 ** 7 # 2 to the power of 7 128 There is a lot more math around, if you are a math-type person, but I'll finish off here with one more thing, you can do grouping with () as expected when doing math on paper: >>> 50 - 5*6 20 >>> (50 - 5*6) / 4 5.0 So our complete list of operators on numbers: * addition: + * subtraction: - * multiplication: * * division: / * // floor division; division that rounds down to nearest integer. * % calculate just the remainder from division. * ** powers (squaring numbers) * () grouping