A.7. Arithmetic

Most programs perform arithmetic calculations. The arithmetic operators are summarized in Fig. A.11. Note the use of various special symbols not used in algebra. The asterisk (*) indicates multiplication, and the percent sign (%) is the remainder operator, which we’ll discuss shortly. The arithmetic operators in Fig. A.11 are binary operators, because each operates on two operands. For example, the expression f + 7 contains the binary operator + and the two operands f and 7.

Fig. A.11. Arithmetic operators.

Integer division yields an integer quotient. For example, the expression 7 / 4 evaluates to 1, and the expression 17 / 5 evaluates to 3. Any fractional part in integer division is simply discarded (i.e., truncated)—no rounding occurs. Java provides the remainder operator, %, which yields the remainder after division. The expression x % y yields the remainder after x is divided by y. Thus, 7 % 4 yields 3, and 17 % 5 yields 2. This operator is most commonly used with integer operands but can also be used with other arithmetic types.