PHP Arithmetic Operators | A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners

PHP Arithmetic Operators

Introduction:
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on PHP arithmetic operators! In this lesson, we’ll explore the fundamental arithmetic operators in PHP, covering addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulus, and more. You’ll also learn about increment and decrement operations. Follow along with practical examples and a quiz to reinforce your understanding.

In PHP, arithmetic operators are used to perform various mathematical operations on numeric values. Here are the basic arithmetic operators in PHP:

PHP Addition (+) Operator:

Adds two values together.

$sum = $a + $b;

PHP Subtraction (-) Operator:

Subtracts the right operand from the left operand.

$difference = $a - $b;

PHP Multiplication (*) Operator :

Multiplies two values.

$product = $a * $b;

PHP Division (/) Operator:

Divides the left operand by the right operand.

$quotient = $a / $b;

PHP Modulus (%) Operator:

Returns the remainder of the division of the left operand by the right operand.

$remainder = $a % $b;

PHP Exponentiation () ** operator

Raises the left operand to the power of the right operand.

$result = $a ** $b;

PHP Increment (++) and Decrement (–) Operator:

Increment increases the value of a variable by 1.
Decrement decreases the value of a variable by 1.

$a++;
$b--;

Here’s an example that combines these operators:

$a = 10;
$b = 5;

$sum = $a + $b;
$difference = $a - $b;
$product = $a * $b;
$quotient = $a / $b;
$remainder = $a % $b;
$result = $a ** $b;

echo "Sum: $sum<br>";
echo "Difference: $difference<br>";
echo "Product: $product<br>";
echo "Quotient: $quotient<br>";
echo "Remainder: $remainder<br>";
echo "Result: $result<br>";

// Increment and Decrement
$a++;
$b--;

echo "Incremented a: $a<br>";
echo "Decremented b: $b<br>";

This script initializes variables $a and $b with values, performs various arithmetic operations, and prints the results. The increment and decrement operations are also demonstrated at the end.

complete example in html with explanation

Let’s create a simple HTML file that includes a PHP script with arithmetic operators. I’ll provide comments to explain each part of the code.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>PHP Arithmetic Operators Example</title>
</head>
<body>

<h1>PHP Arithmetic Operators Example</h1>

<?php
// PHP code starts here

// Initializing variables
$a = 10;
$b = 5;

// Arithmetic operations
$sum = $a + $b;
$difference = $a - $b;
$product = $a * $b;
$quotient = $a / $b;
$remainder = $a % $b;
$result = $a ** $b;

// Increment and Decrement
$a++;
$b--;

// Output the results
echo "<p>Value of a: $a</p>";
echo "<p>Value of b: $b</p>";
echo "<p>Sum: $sum</p>";
echo "<p>Difference: $difference</p>";
echo "<p>Product: $product</p>";
echo "<p>Quotient: $quotient</p>";
echo "<p>Remainder: $remainder</p>";
echo "<p>Result: $result</p>";
?>

</body>
</html>

Explanation:

The HTML structure is standard with a head section for meta tags and a title, and a body section to display content.
Inside the <body>, we have a heading (<h1>) to indicate the title of the page.
The PHP code is embedded within <?php … ?> tags. This code initializes variables $a and $b, performs various arithmetic operations, and demonstrates increment and decrement.
The results of the operations are echoed within <p> (paragraph) tags to display them as paragraphs on the webpage.

Save this code in a file with a .php extension (e.g., arithmetic_example.php).

When you open this file in a web browser, you should see the results of the arithmetic operations displayed on the webpage.

An application about this lesson with Explanation

Let’s create a simple web application that allows s to input two numbers and then performs various arithmetic operations on those numbers using PHP.
We ‘ll provide you with an example that includes an HTML form and a PHP script to process the form data.
Save the following code in a file with a .php extension (e.g., arithmetic_app.php):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Arithmetic Operations App</title>
<style>
input {
width: 50px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>

<h1>Arithmetic Operations App</h1>

<form method="post" action="<?php echo $_SERVER['PHP_SELF']; ?>">
<label for="num1">Enter Number 1:</label>
<input type="text" name="num1" id="num1" required>

<label for="num2">Enter Number 2:</label>
<input type="text" name="num2" id="num2" required>

<button type="submit">Calculate</button>
</form>

<?php
// PHP code starts here

// Check if the form is submitted
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
// Retrieve input
$num1 = $_POST['num1'];
$num2 = $_POST['num2'];

// Validate input (check if they are numeric)
if (is_numeric($num1) && is_numeric($num2)) {
// Perform arithmetic operations
$sum = $num1 + $num2;
$difference = $num1 - $num2;
$product = $num1 * $num2;
$quotient = $num1 / $num2;
$remainder = $num1 % $num2;
$result = $num1 ** $num2;

// Output the results
echo "<h2>Results:</h2>";
echo "<p>Sum: $sum</p>";
echo "<p>Difference: $difference</p>";
echo "<p>Product: $product</p>";
echo "<p>Quotient: $quotient</p>";
echo "<p>Remainder: $remainder</p>";
echo "<p>Result: $result</p>";
} else {
// Display an error message if input is not numeric
echo "<p style='color: red;'>Please enter valid numeric values.</p>";
}
}
?>

</body>
</html>

Explanation:

The HTML structure is similar to the previous example, with an additional CSS style to set the width of input fields.
The HTML form includes two text input fields for s to enter numbers and a submit button.
The PHP code checks if the form has been submitted ($_SERVER[‘REQUEST_METHOD’] === ‘POST’), retrieves input, and validates whether the input is numeric using is_numeric().
If the input is numeric, the script performs various arithmetic operations and displays the results. If the input is not numeric, an error message is displayed.
Save this file and open it in a web browser. s can enter two numbers, submit the form, and see the results of arithmetic operations on those numbers.

Quiz about arithmetic operators

Here’s a quiz with 10 questions about PHP arithmetic operators.

PHP Arithmetic Operators Quiz

1. What is the result of the following PHP expression: $a = 10; $b = 5; $result = $a + $b;?

a) 10
b) 5
c) 15
d) 50

2. Which PHP operator is used for subtraction?

a) +
b) *
c) /
d) –

3. What is the purpose of the modulus operator (%) in PHP?

a) Multiplication
b) Division
c) Returns the remainder of a division
d) Exponentiation

4. How is the increment operator written in PHP?

a) ++
b) —
c) +=
d) -=

5. In PHP, what does the ** operator do?

a) Modulus
b) Exponentiation
c) Multiplication
d) Division

6. Which arithmetic operator is used for multiplication in PHP?

a) /
b) *
c) %
d) **

7. What will be the value of $a after the operation $a++ if $a was initially 8?

a) 9
b) 8
c) 10
d) 7

8. Which operator is used to concatenate strings in PHP?

a) .
b) +
c) &
d) ,

9. What is the result of the expression $a = 20; $b = 3; $result = $a / $b;?

a) 6.66
b) 7
c) 6
d) 6.33

10. Which of the following is used for decrement in PHP?

a) —
b) +=
c) -=
d) ++

Answers:
1-c) 15
2-d) –
3-c) Returns the remainder of a division
4-a) ++
5-b) Exponentiation
6-b) *
7-a) 9
8-a) .
9-a) 6.66
10-a) —

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PHP Arithmetic Operators | A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners