Arithmetic operators in Java - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Arithmetic operators

Start

↓

Initialize variables

↓

Apply +, -, *, /, %

↓

Store results

↓

Print results

↓

End

This flow shows how arithmetic operators take values, perform calculations, and store or display the results.

Execution Sample

Java

int a = 10;
int b = 3;
int sum = a + b;
int diff = a - b;
int prod = a * b;
int quot = a / b;
int mod = a % b;
System.out.println(sum + ", " + diff + ", " + prod + ", " + quot + ", " + mod);

This code calculates sum, difference, product, quotient, and remainder of two numbers and prints them.

Execution Table

Step	Operation	Expression	Result	Explanation
1	Addition	sum = a + b	13	10 + 3 = 13
2	Subtraction	diff = a - b	7	10 - 3 = 7
3	Multiplication	prod = a * b	30	10 * 3 = 30
4	Division	quot = a / b	3	Integer division 10 / 3 = 3
5	Modulo	mod = a % b	1	Remainder of 10 / 3 is 1
6	Print	System.out.println(...)	13, 7, 30, 3, 1	Outputs all results
7	End	-	-	Program ends

💡 All arithmetic operations done and results printed, program ends.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	After Step 5	Final
a	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
b	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
sum	undefined	13	13	13	13	13	13
diff	undefined	undefined	7	7	7	7	7
prod	undefined	undefined	undefined	30	30	30	30
quot	undefined	undefined	undefined	undefined	3	3	3
mod	undefined	undefined	undefined	undefined	undefined	1	1

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does division 10 / 3 give 3 instead of 3.333?

Because both a and b are integers, Java does integer division which discards the decimal part. See execution_table step 4.

What does the % operator do?

It gives the remainder after division. For 10 % 3, the remainder is 1 as shown in execution_table step 5.

Are the original variables a and b changed by the operations?

No, a and b keep their original values throughout. The results are stored in new variables like sum, diff, etc. See variable_tracker.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table at step 3, what is the value of prod?

A 7

B 13

C 30

D 3

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column at step 3 in execution_table.

At which step does the modulo operation happen?

A Step 5

B Step 2

C Step 4

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Look for '%' operator in the 'Operation' column in execution_table.

If variable b was 4 instead of 3, what would be the new value of quot at step 4?

A 4

B 2

C 3

D 1

💡 Hint

Integer division 10 / 4 equals 2, check how quot is calculated in execution_table step 4.

Concept Snapshot

Arithmetic operators in Java:
+ (add), - (subtract), * (multiply), / (divide), % (modulo)
Operate on numbers and produce results.
Integer division discards decimals.
Modulo gives remainder.
Store results in variables.

Full Transcript

This example shows how Java uses arithmetic operators to calculate sum, difference, product, quotient, and remainder of two integers. Variables a and b start with 10 and 3. Each operator is applied step-by-step: addition gives 13, subtraction 7, multiplication 30, division 3 (integer division), and modulo 1 (remainder). Results are stored in separate variables. The program prints all results. Important points: integer division truncates decimals, modulo returns remainder, and original variables remain unchanged.