Remember basic arithmetic from school? These work just like those.
Table 15-2. Arithmetic Operators
| Example | Name | Result |
|---|---|---|
| -$a | Negation | Opposite of $a. |
| $a + $b | Addition | Sum of $a and $b. |
| $a - $b | Subtraction | Difference of $a and $b. |
| $a * $b | Multiplication | Product of $a and $b. |
| $a / $b | Division | Quotient of $a and $b. |
| $a % $b | Modulus | Remainder of $a divided by $b. |
The division operator ("/") returns a float value unless the two operands are integers (or strings that get converted to integers) and the numbers are evenly divisible, in which case an integer value will be returned.
Note: Remainder $a % $b is negative for negative $a.
See also the manual page on Math functions.