Solve - ZeroDivisionError: float division by zero in Python

Solve - ZeroDivisionError: float division by zero in Python #

The Python "ZeroDivisionError: float division by zero" occurs when we try to divide a floating-point number by 0. To solve the error, use an if statement to check if the number you are dividing by is not zero, or handle the error in a try/except block.

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

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a = 15.0
b = 0

# ⛔️ ZeroDivisionError: float division by zero
result = a / b

It's unclear what value is expected when we divide by 0, so Python throws an error.

When we divide a number by 0, the result tends towards infinity.

One way to solve the error is to check if the value we are dividing by is not 0.

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a = 15.0
b = 0

if b != 0:
    result = a / b
else:
    result = 0

print(result)  # 👉️ 0

We check if the b variable doesn't store a 0 value and if it doesn't, we divide a by b.

If setting the result variable to 0, if b is equal to 0 suits your use case, you can shorten this to a single line.

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a = 15.0
b = 0

result = b and a / b

print(result)  # 👉️ 0

The expression x and y first evaluates x, and if x is falsy, its value is returned, otherwise, y is returned.

Alternatively, you can use a try/except statement.

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a = 15.0
b = 0

try:
    result = a / b
except ZeroDivisionError:
    result = 0

print(result)  # 👉️ 0

We try to divide a by b and if we get a ZeroDivisionError, the except block sets the result variable to 0.

The best way to solve the error is to figure out where the variable gets assigned a 0 and check whether that's the expected behavior.

Here are some common ways you might get a zero value unexpectedly.

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print(int())  # 👉️ 0
print(int(0.9))  # 👉️ 0