Arithmetic Operators

 

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Operators that can be used in the Windows PowerShell to perform

mathematical operations

 

LONG DESCRIPTION

Arithmetic operators allow you to calculate numerical values in parameters within a command. You can use one or more operators to add, subtract, multiply, and divide values, as well as determine the remainder (modulus) returned by dividing values. The results of these calculations are used as values in the parameters that contain them. The command then processes the parameters as it would any other type of parameter.

 

PowerShell supports the following arithmetic operators:

 

Operator	Description	Example	Result
+	Adds two values	6+2	8
-	Subtracts one value from another value	6-2	4
-	Converts a value to a negative number	-2+6	4
*	Multiplies two values	6*2	12
/	Divides two values	6/2	3
%	Returns the remainder from a division operation	6%4	2

 

OPERATOR PRECEDENCE

Several factors determine how an expression that contains arithmetic operators is processed. These factors include the type of operator, the order in which operators are used, and whether any expression elements are enclosed in parentheses. For example, 10+4/2 returns a value of 12, while (10+4)/2 returns a value of 7. In the first example, 4/2 is processed before the 10 is added to the value. In the second example, 10+4 is processed before the value is divided by 2.

 

PowerShell evaluates arithmetic operators based on the following precedence:

 

1.       (for a negative number)

2.       *, /, %

3.       +, - (for subtraction)

 

PowerShell processes the expressions from left to right, within the context of this precedence. For example, 3+6/3*4 returns a value of 11. First 6 is divided by 3, which equals 2. The 2 is then multiplied by 4, which equals 8. This result is then added to 3, giving you a final value of 11.

 

You can override the operator precedence by using parentheses to enclose specific parts of your expression. Elements enclosed in the parentheses are evaluated first, and then the rest of the expression is evaluated. For example, (3+3)/(1+1) returns a value of 3. First, 3+3 is evaluated, and then 1+1 is evaluated. The first result, 6, is then divided by the second result, 2, giving you a total of 3.

 

ARITHMETIC OPERATORS AND VARIABLES

Arithmetic operators are commonly used with variables. For example, suppose that the $intA variable has been assigned a value of 6 and the $intB variable has been assigned a value of 4. You can use the + operator to add the two variable values together, as shown in the following command:

 

 

In this example, 6 and 4 are added together. The sum, 10, is then assigned to the $intTotal variable. The equal sign (=) is used to assign a value to the $intTotal variable.

 

SEE ALSO

For information about assigning values to variables, enter the following command at the PowerShell command prompt: