Borislav Hadzhiev
Sun May 01 2022·1 min read
Photo by Yarden
The Python "OverflowError: math range error" occurs when the result of a
mathematical calculation is too large. Use a try/except
block to handle the
error or use the numpy
module if you have to manipulate larger numbers.
Here is an example of how the error occurs.
import math # ⛔️ OverflowError: math range error result = math.exp(100000)
The number we are trying to calculate is too large and it would take quite a
while for the operation to complete, so an OverflowError
is raised.
One way to handle the error is to use a try/except
block.
import math try: result = math.exp(100000) except OverflowError: result = math.inf print(result) # 👉️ inf
If calling the math.exp()
method with the specified number raises an
OverflowError
, the except
block is ran.
In the except
block, we set the result
variable to positive infinity.
The math.inf property returns a floating-point positive infinity.
It is equivalent to using float('inf')
.
None
or handle it in any other way that suits your use case.An alternative approach is to install and use the numpy
module.
Open your terminal in your project's root directory and install the numpy
module.
pip install numpy
Now you can import and use the numpy
module.
import numpy as np result = np.exp(100000) print(result) # 👉️ inf
You might get a runtime warning when running the code sample, but an error is not raised.
You can view the methods that are supported by the numpy package in the sidebar of the official docs.