How to make the division of 2 ints produce a float instead of another int?

Question

In another Bruce Eckels exercise in calculating velocity, v = s / t where s and t are integers. How do I make it so the division cranks out a float?

Answer 1

Cast one of the integers/both of the integer to float to force the operation to be done with floating point Math. Otherwise integer Math is always preferred. So:

1. v = (float)s / t;
2. v = (float)s / (float)t;

Answer 2

Try this:

class CalcV 
{
      float v;
      float calcV(int s, int t)
      {
          float value1=s;
          float value2=t;
          v = value1 / value2;
          return v;
      } //end calcV
}

Answer 3

JLS Standard

JLS 7 15.17.2. Division Operator / says:

Integer division rounds toward 0. That is, the quotient produced for operands n and d that are integers after binary numeric promotion (§5.6.2) is an integer value q whose magnitude is as large as possible while satisfying |d · q| ≤ |n|. Moreover, q is positive when |n| ≥ |d| and n and d have the same sign, but q is negative when |n| ≥ |d| and n and d have opposite signs.

This is why 1/2 does not give a float.

Converting just either one to float as in (float)1/2 suffices because 15.17. Multiplicative Operators says:

Binary numeric promotion is performed on the operands

and 5.6.2. Binary Numeric Promotion says:

• If either operand is of type double, the other is converted to double.
• Otherwise, if either operand is of type float, the other is converted to float