ZeroDivisionError: integer division or modulo by zero

ZeroDivisionError: integer division or modulo by zero #

The Python "ZeroDivisionError: integer division or modulo by zero" occurs when we use the modulo % operator with an integer and a zero. To solve the error, figure out where the 0 comes from and correct the assignment.

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

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a = 6
b = 0

# ⛔️ ZeroDivisionError: integer division or modulo by zero
result = a % b

We tried using the modulo % operator with a zero.

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.

Here are some unexpected sources of 0.

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import random

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

print(random.randint(0, 10))  # 👉️ 0

print(list(range(0, 5)))  # 👉️ [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

If you use the random.randint() method or the range() class, make sure to start from 1, and not from 0.

You can also conditionally check if the variable doesn't store a 0 value before using the modulo operator.

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a = 6
b = 0

if b != 0:
    result = a % b
else:
    # 👇️ this runs
    print('b is equal to 0')

Alternatively, you can use a try/except statement.

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a = 6
b = 0

try:
    result = a % b
    print(result)
except ZeroDivisionError:
    pass

We use the modulo operator and if we get a ZeroDivisionError, the except block is run.

You can set the result variable to a value that suits your use case in the except block or simply pass.

The modulo (%) operator returns the remainder from the division of the first value by the second.

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print(10 % 2)  # 👉️ 0
print(10 % 4)  # 👉️ 2

If the value on the right-hand side is zero, the operator raises a ZeroDivisionError exception.

The left and right-hand side values may also be floating point numbers.

If the left-hand side value is a float and the right-hand side value is 0, you would get a "ZeroDivisionError: float modulo" error.

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# ⛔️ ZeroDivisionError: float modulo
print(10.5 % 0)  # 👉️ 0

Conclusion #

The Python "ZeroDivisionError: integer division or modulo by zero" occurs when we use the modulo % operator with an integer and a zero. To solve the error, figure out where the 0 comes from and correct the assignment.