The
primary distinction between division (/) and floor division (//) in Python is
their approach in dealing with the fractional component of the outcome.
Division
(/)
It is
often referred as true division, returns a float value as result, irrespective
of the operand types. This is the case even when the division’s result is
mathematically an integer.
>>> 5/2
2.5
>>>
>>> 4/2
2.0
Floor
division (//)
This
operator carries out floor division by eliminating the fractional part and
rounding the result down to the closest whole number. It is applicable to both
integers and floating-point numbers.
>>> 5//2
2
>>>
>>> 4//2
2
Floor
division can also be accomplished using the math.floor(x) function, which is
beneficial for maintaining consistency when handling both integers and floats.
>>> import math
>>>
>>> math.floor(5/2)
2
Floor
division is useful in situations where you are interested only in the integer
part of the result.
