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Quiz: Math and Arithmetic

Test your understanding of Python's arithmetic operators, order of operations, and augmented assignment with these questions. Click "Show Answer" to reveal the correct answer and explanation.

1. What is the result of 10 // 3 in Python?

  1. 3.3333
  2. 1
  3. 3
  4. 0.3
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. The // operator is integer division — it divides and keeps only the whole-number part, throwing away any decimal. 10 divided by 3 is 3 with a remainder of 1, so 10 // 3 gives 3. If you want the decimal result, use / instead: 10 / 3 gives 3.3333....

Concept Tested: Integer Division Operator

2. What does the modulo operator % calculate?

  1. The percentage of one number compared to another
  2. The remainder left over after dividing two integers
  3. The average of two numbers
  4. The larger of two numbers
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The correct answer is B. The % operator (modulo) gives you the remainder after division. For example, 10 % 3 is 1 because 3 goes into 10 three times (that's 9), and 10 − 9 = 1 left over. Modulo is very useful for checking if a number is even (n % 2 == 0) and for creating repeating patterns in programs.

Concept Tested: Modulo Operator

3. What does 2 ** 8 evaluate to in Python?

  1. 16
  2. 256
  3. 28
  4. 10
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The correct answer is B. The ** operator is exponentiation — "to the power of." 2 ** 8 means 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2, which equals 256. This is the same as 2 raised to the 8th power in mathematics. Exponentiation is one of Python's three extra arithmetic operators not found in Scratch.

Concept Tested: Exponentiation Operator

4. What is the result of 2 + 3 * 4 in Python?

  1. 20
  2. 24
  3. 14
  4. 9
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The correct answer is C. Python follows the standard order of operations (PEMDAS): multiplication comes before addition. So Python calculates 3 * 4 = 12 first, then adds 2 + 12 = 14. If you wanted to add first and then multiply, you would write (2 + 3) * 4, which equals 20.

Concept Tested: Order of Operations

5. Which shorthand operator adds 5 to the variable score?

  1. score =+ 5
  2. score += 5
  3. score + 5
  4. score == score + 5
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The correct answer is B. score += 5 is an augmented assignment operator — it is shorthand for score = score + 5. It reads the current value of score, adds 5, and stores the result back in score. This pattern is used constantly in loops: count += 1 adds 1 to a counter every time the loop repeats.

Concept Tested: Augmented Assignment Operators

6. What is the value of x after this code runs?

1
2
3
4
x = 10
x -= 3
x *= 2
print(x)
  1. 7
  2. 14
  3. 20
  4. 4
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Python runs each line in order. First x = 10 sets x to 10. Then x -= 3 means x = x - 3 = 10 - 3 = 7, so x is now 7. Then x *= 2 means x = x * 2 = 7 * 2 = 14. The final value printed is 14.

Concept Tested: Augmented Assignment Operators

7. What does a, b = 5, 10 do in Python?

  1. Creates a list with two items: 5 and 10
  2. Assigns 5 to a and 10 to b at the same time
  3. Swaps the values of a and b
  4. Multiplies a by b and stores the result
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The correct answer is B. Multiple assignment lets you assign values to two or more variables in one line. Python reads the values on the right (5 and 10) and assigns them left to right to the variables on the left (a and b). After this line, a holds 5 and b holds 10.

Concept Tested: Multiple Assignment

8. Why does 10 / 2 return 5.0 instead of 5 in Python?

  1. Python automatically rounds up all division results
  2. The / operator always returns a float, even when the answer is a whole number
  3. 5.0 and 5 are exactly the same in Python
  4. You need to use parentheses to get an integer from division
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. In Python 3, the / division operator always returns a float (a number with a decimal point), even when the numbers divide evenly. So 10 / 2 gives 5.0, not 5. If you want the integer result, use the // operator: 10 // 2 gives 5.

Concept Tested: Division Returns Float

9. What is 3e8 in Python?

  1. The number 38
  2. 3 raised to the power of 8 (= 6561)
  3. 3 times 10 to the power of 8 (= 300,000,000)
  4. An error, because e is not a valid number character
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The correct answer is C. Python uses the letter e (or E) for scientific notation. 3e8 means 3 × 10^8, which equals 300,000,000 (the approximate speed of light in meters per second). Scientific notation is useful when working with very large or very small numbers to avoid writing many zeros.

Concept Tested: Scientific Notation Floats

10. To draw a regular hexagon with a turtle, what turn angle should you use at each corner?

  1. 45 degrees
  2. 72 degrees
  3. 60 degrees
  4. 120 degrees
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The correct answer is C. For any regular polygon, the turn angle at each corner is 360 / number_of_sides. A hexagon has 6 sides, so the turn angle is 360 / 6 = 60 degrees. You would repeat t.forward(length) and t.right(60) six times. For a pentagon (5 sides), the turn is 360 / 5 = 72 degrees.

Concept Tested: Arithmetic Operators