JavaScript Arithmetic
JavaScript Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators perform arithmetic on numbers (literals or variables).
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| + | Addition |
| - | Subtraction |
| * | Multiplication |
| ** | Exponentiation (ES2016) |
| / | Division |
| % | Modulus (Remainder) |
| ++ | Increment |
| -- | Decrement |
Arithmetic Operations
A typical arithmetic operation operates on two numbers.
The two numbers can be literals:
or variables:
or expressions:
Operators and Operands
The numbers (in an arithmetic operation) are called operands.
The operation (to be performed between the two operands) is defined by an operator.
| Operand | Operator | Operand |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | + | 50 |
Adding
The addition operator (+) adds numbers:
Subtracting
The subtraction operator (-) subtracts numbers.
Multiplying
The multiplication operator (*) multiplies numbers.
Dividing
The division operator (/) divides numbers.
Remainder
The modulus operator (%) returns the division remainder.
In arithmetic, the division of two integers produces a quotient and a remainder.
In mathematics, the result of a modulo operation is the remainder of an arithmetic division.
Incrementing
The increment operator (++) increments numbers.
Decrementing
The decrement operator (--) decrements numbers.
Exponentiation
The exponentiation operator (**) raises the first operand to the power of the second operand.
x ** y produces the same result as Math.pow(x,y):
Operator Precedence
Operator precedence describes the order in which operations are performed in an arithmetic expression.
Is the result of example above the same as 150 * 3, or is it the same as 100 + 150?
Is the addition or the multiplication done first?
As in traditional school mathematics, the multiplication is done first.
Multiplication (*) and division (/) have higher precedence than
addition (+) and subtraction (-).
And (as in school mathematics) the precedence can be changed by using parentheses.
When using parentheses, the operations inside the parentheses are computed first:
When many operations have the same precedence (like addition and subtraction or multiplication and division), they are computed from left to right:
For a full list of operator precedence values go to:
