Why Does Integer Division Return Zero Instead of a Decimal Value?

Integer Division and Unexpected Zero Results

The example code produces a zero result from a division operation where a decimal value (0.073667712) is expected. This is because the variables, by default, are treated as integers. Integer division in many programming languages truncates (discards) any fractional portion of the result, leaving only the whole number part. Therefore, 47 divided by 638 results in zero.

Solution: Using Floating-Point Data Types

To obtain the correct decimal result, you must use floating-point numbers (like float or double depending on the programming language). This can be achieved in two ways:

1. Declare Variables as Floats: Define @set1 and @set2 as floating-point data types from the outset. The specific syntax depends on your programming language.

2. Type Casting: Explicitly convert the integer variables to floats before performing the division using a type casting function (like CAST in SQL, or similar functions in other languages). For instance:

SET @weight = CAST(@set1 AS float) / CAST(@set2 AS float);

This ensures that the division is performed on floating-point numbers, preserving the decimal portion and yielding the expected result of approximately 0.073667712.

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