Numeric Operators

Python supports the full set of binary arithmetic operators that you would expect in a modern computer language. A binary operator is one which performs an operation on exactly two elements, one on each side of the operator's symbol. Table 3.1 shows the operators supported by python.

Table 3.1: Arithmetic Operators

Operator	Function	Operator	Function
+	Addition	-	Subtraction
*	Multiplication	/	Division
>>	Right bit shift	<<	Left bit shift
**	Exponentiation	%	Modulus

When performing operations on integers, be aware that python performs integer arithmetic unless at least one of the operands is a floating point number. See Section 3.2 for further information.

In addition to the binary operators in Table 3.1, python also provides unary operators for plus and minus. Thus any number or expression which returns a single numeric value can be preceded by either a minus sign (-) or a plus sign (+).