Arithmetic Operators

Roblox Lua can do mathematical calculations, much like any calculator. In Lua, there is:

• + Addition (e.g., 2 + 3 = 5)
• - Subtraction (e.g., 5 - 2 = 3)
• * Multiplication (e.g., 5 * 2 = 10)
• / Division (e.g., 8 / 2 = 4)
• - Unary Negation (e.g., -(20) = -20)
• ^ Exponentiation (e.g., 5 ^ 5 = 3125)
• % Modulus (Returns the remainder between two numbers e.g. 11 % 3 = 2)

Example

print(2 + 3) --> 5
print(5 - 2) --> 3
print(5 * 2) --> 10
print(8 / 2) --> 4
print(-(20)) --> -20
print(23 % 4) --> 3

Parentheses

Parentheses can be used in Lua much as they are used in algebra. If you want something calculated first, put that in parentheses.

Example

print((10 / 20) / 5) -- is equal to .5 / 5, which is .1
print(10 / (20 / 5)) -- is equal to 10 / 4, which is 2.5

Following the associative properties of multiplication and addition, it does not matter how you organize the parentheses in certain instances:

Example

print((10 + 20) + 5) -- is equal to 30 + 5, which is 35
print(10 + (20 + 5)) -- is equal to 10 + 25, which is 35

print((10 * 20) * 5) -- is equal to 200 * 5, which is 1000
print(10 * (20 * 5)) -- is equal to 10 * 100, which is 1000

Precedence

Lua follows the same order of operations as defined by the rules of mathematics. The mnemonic PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction) apply to Lua. The following goes from lower, to higher priority.

      +     -
      *     /     %
      - (unary)
      ^

See Also

Arithmetic Operators Complete Precedence Table