What does '//' mean in Python?

In this article, we will learn about the // operator in Python in detail.

To perform floor division in Python, use the double slash // operator. // This operator divides the first number by the second number and rounds the result to the nearest integer (or whole numbers).

// Operator syntax

To use the double slash // operator, follow the same steps as for regular division. The only difference is that you use double slash // instead of single slash / -

grammar

first_number// second_number

Floor division

Algorithm (steps)

Below are the algorithms/steps that need to be followed to perform the required task. -

• Create a variable to store the input number 1.

• Create another variable to store the input number 2.

• Using the double slash // operator, perform floor division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 and create another variable to store it. Double slash(//)The operator returns the result as an integer by rounding to the nearest integer.

• Print the floor result of dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2.

Example

The following program uses the // operator in Python to return the base of the first number divided by the second number -

# input number 1 
inputNumber_1 = 10
# input number 2
inputNumber_2 = 3
# performing floor division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
# it returns the result as an integer by rounding off to the nearest integer
result_number = inputNumber_1 // inputNumber_2

# printing the result of floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 = ", result_number)

Output

floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 =  3

Show the difference between // and / operators

Algorithm (steps)

Below are the algorithms/steps that need to be followed to perform the required task. -

• Create a variable to store the input number1.

• Create another variable to store the input number2.

• Use the double slash (//) operator to perform floor division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2. It returns the result as an integer by rounding to the nearest integer

• Print the floor result of dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2

• Use single slash(/)Perform division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2. It returns the result as a floating point number.

• Print The result of dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2.

Example

The following program returns floor division and the division of the first number by the second number using the // and / operators in Python -

# input number 1 
inputNumber_1 = 10
# input number 2
inputNumber_2 = 3

# performing floor division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 using //
# it returns the result as an integer by rounding off to the nearest integer
result_floordiv = inputNumber_1 // inputNumber_2
 
# printing the result of floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("Floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 = ", result_floordiv)

# performing division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 using /
# it returns the result as a floating-point number 
result_div = inputNumber_1 / inputNumber_2

# printing the result of the division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("Division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 = ", result_div)

Output

Floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 =  3
Division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 =  3.3333333333333335

The above code shows that The double slash (//) operator rounds the result of dividing two numbers down to the nearest integer.

Note - If we perform floor division with negative numbers, the result will still be rounded down (to the nearest integer)

Double slash // Operator function similar to math.floor()

In Python, math.floor() Like the double-slash // operator, rounds a number down to the nearest integer.

Example

Because they perform the same operation behind the scenes, math.floor() is an alternative to the // operator.

# importing math module
import math

# input number 1 
inputNumber_1 = 10
# input number 2
inputNumber_2 = 3

# performing floor division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 using //
# it returns the result as an integer by rounding off to the nearest integer
result_floordiv = inputNumber_1 // inputNumber_2
 
# printing the result of floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("Floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 = ", result_floordiv)

# performing division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 using /
# it returns the result as a floating-point number 
result_mathfloor = math.floor(inputNumber_1 / inputNumber_2)

# printing the result of the division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("math.floor of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 = ", result_mathfloor)

Output

Floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 =  3
math.floor of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 =  3

Double Slash // Behind the Scenes of Operator

When you use the //operator to divide two numbers, the __floordiv__() function is called behind the scenes.

Example

The following program shows how the // operator works -

# importing math module
import math

# input number 1 
inputNumber_1 = 10
# input number 2
inputNumber_2 = 3

# performing floor division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 using //
# it returns the result as an integer by rounding off to the nearest integer
result_floordiv = inputNumber_1 // inputNumber_2
 
# printing the result of floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("Floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 = ", result_floordiv)

# performing division by dividing inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 using /
# it returns the result as a floating-point number 
floordiv = inputNumber_1.__floordiv__(inputNumber_2)

# printing the result of the division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2
print("The floordiv method returns the same result as = ", floordiv)

Output

Floor division of inputNumber_1 by inputNumber_2 =  3
The floordiv method returns the same result as =  3

in conclusion

You've learned in this tutorial how to use the double slash // operator and how it works behind the scenes. Additionally, you learned about two // operator alternatives: the math.floor() and __floordiv__() functions.

Don't be confused about which one to use. All three floor division methods work in the same way. However, I recommend you use the double slash // operator as it allows you to type less.

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