Harlin wrote:
What good is the modulus operator? What would I ever need it for?
* A quick way of testing whether an integer is even and odd * For that matter, a quick way of testing whether a the variable is a factor of any other arbitrary number. * In some programs (a weight control program I worked on comes to mind) it's necessary to get a remainder so that you can get the results of a leftover evenly divisible number.
Also, it's a good way to ensure that some number is in a specified range, and "wraps around" to the beginning if it goes out of that range. For a quick & cheesy example, let's say we want to count time for music:
import time def beats = ['one', 'two', 'three', 'four']
n = 0
while True:
print beats[n]
n = (n+1) % 4
time.sleep(0.5)By using '% 4', I ensure that n is always in the interval [0...4) (including 0 but not including 4).
Modulus is useful for all sorts of periodic behavior.
Jeff Shannon Technician/Programmer Credit International
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