"Eric Morey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>>> 2.0/5 # get decimal quotient
0.4
>>> 2/5.0 # do it again
0.4
>>>
http://www.dickbaldwin.com/python/Pyth0004-fig10.htm
Howerver, using the python shell in my terminal, I get:
>>> 2.0/5 # get decimal quotient
0.40000000000000002
>>> 2/5.0 # do it again
0.40000000000000002
>>>
Looks like the author cheated a little.
If you explicitly print the result:
>>> print 2.0/5 # get decimal quotient
0.4
It should work as expected.
Without the print Python uses a slightly different set of
formatting rules for values. (print uses str() while evaluating
uses repr(), but you don;t need to worry about that yet! :-)
My advice to beginners is to always use print for consistent
results even though it is more typing.
--
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld
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