Question

What is the purpose of the modulus operator?

Short answer

Answer: The modulus operator, represented by the symbol %, is an arithmetic operation that finds the remainder when one number is divided by another. Its purpose is to determine the remainder of a division operation, which is useful in various mathematical equations and programming tasks such as determining even or odd numbers, wrapping around ranges, checking for divisibility, and calculating periodic functions.

Step-by-step solution

Defining modulus operator

The modulus operator, often represented by the symbol %, is an arithmetic operation that finds the remainder when one number is divided by another. In simple terms, it allows us to determine what is left over after a division operation.

Purpose of modulus operator

The purpose of the modulus operator is to find the remainder of a division operation when one number is divided by another. It is used in various mathematical equations and computer programming tasks for determining even or odd numbers, wrapping around ranges or computing periodic functions, and also providing cyclical patterns.

Modulus examples and uses

Here are some example uses of the modulus operator: 1. Determining if a number is even or odd: If a number `n` has a remainder of 0 when divided by 2 (i.e., n % 2 == 0), then the number is even. Otherwise, if n % 2 == 1, the number is odd. 2. Wrapping values around a range: In programming, you may want a value to loop back to the beginning after it reaches a certain limit. For example, if you have a list of 10 items and want to access an item after the last one, you can use the modulus operator to wrap the index back to the beginning: (last_index + 1) % 10 gives the first element's index. 3. Checking for divisibility: The modulus operator can be used to check if a number is divisible by another number, i.e., if there is no remainder when dividing the numbers. For example, if a % b == 0, then a is divisible by b. 4. Periodic functions: Modulus operator is helpful in calculating periodic functions such as clock calculations (e.g., summing minutes or hours). For example, if you have a 12-hour clock and want to find the time after 14 hours, you can use the modulus operator: 14 % 12 = 2, so the resulting time is 2 hours.