What is the output of the following code : print 9//2

What is the output of the following code : print 9//2
What is the output of the following code : print 9//2

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:

The output of the following Python code:

pythonCopyEditprint(9 // 2)

is:

CopyEdit4

Explanation (300 Words)

In Python, the // operator is known as the floor division operator. It performs division between two numbers and returns the largest possible integer that is less than or equal to the actual result. This means it rounds down to the nearest whole number, regardless of the decimal part.

Let’s break down the expression:

  • 9 // 2

If we use normal division (/), the result of 9 / 2 is 4.5.
However, with floor division (//), Python returns the floor of 4.5, which is 4.

The term floor in mathematics refers to the greatest integer less than or equal to a number. For example:

  • floor(4.5) is 4
  • floor(2.9) is 2
  • floor(-2.9) is -3 (note: rounding down means more negative)

So, 9 // 2:

  • Divides 9 by 2 → gets 4.5
  • Takes the floor of 4.54

This is especially useful in situations where you want to ignore the decimal part and work with integers, such as indexing, loops, or integer-based algorithms.

Key Points:

  • // is floor division in Python.
  • It returns the integer part after rounding down.
  • Works with both integers and floats.
  • 9 // 2 returns 4 because it drops the .5 and keeps the integer part only.

If you used the normal division operator / instead, like print(9 / 2), the output would be 4.5.

Therefore, the correct and final output of print(9 // 2) is:

Scroll to Top