Mathematically python is not giving correct output for integer division for negative number, e.g. :  -7//2= -3 but python is giving output -4.

Hi Nitin,

"a // b" is defined as the floor division operation, same as what "math.floor(a / b)" gives: the largest integer <= a / b.

-7/2 is -3.5, the largest integer <= -3.5 is -4.

Hi  Georg,

Is there any operator for integer division in python?

On Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 1:00 PM, Georg Brandl <report@bugs.python.org>wrote:

>
> Georg Brandl added the comment:
>
> Hi Nitin,
>
> "a // b" is defined as the floor division operation, same as what
> "math.floor(a / b)" gives: the largest integer <= a / b.
>
> -7/2 is -3.5, the largest integer <= -3.5 is -4.
>
> ----------
> nosy: +georg.brandl
> resolution:  -> invalid
> status: open -> closed
>
> _______________________________________
> Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org>
> <http://bugs.python.org/issue19446>
> _______________________________________
>

Nitin:

> Is there any operator for integer division in python?

Yes, there is: the '//' operator.  :-)

There's no universally agreed upon definition for 'integer division' when negative numbers enter the mix, but I'm guessing that in this case you need something that rounds towards 0 instead of towards -infinity.  There's no dedicated operator for that, but you can simply do (assuming that b is positive):

   -(-a // b) if a < 0 else a // b

References:

[1] http://python-history.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/why-pythons-integer-division-floors.html
[2] http://docs.python.org/2/faq/programming.html#why-does-22-10-return-3