Python (2.x) multiplication is not happening properly

Question

Here is the code ...

a=4
b=8.0
if a and a >0:
 a=a*int(b)
 print "Value:",a 

The desired o/p should be 32. i am also getting the same in python console. But the same code is present in my product where instead of 32 the out put is coming as 44444444 (eight fours) i.e whatever value i'am giving to multiply with "a" it is just printing that much a's. If you give 12 then twelve fours will print.

Any idea what is the problem ?

• Karl Knechtel: The code is not exactly as such in your "product". Show the part where you "give a value" to multiply.

Answer 1

I bet you 100 bob that in your product a is not actually the integer 4, but the string '4'.

>>> a = '4'
>>> b=8.0
>>> if a and a >0:
... a=a*int(b)
... print "Value:",a
... 
Value: 44444444

This will happen, for example, if you are using something like a = raw_input('Please enter a number: ') and then you forget to convert the string a into a number.

• Reuben: Thanks Wim, correct! the value it is fetching through some function whose default return value is String. Uhh sily mistake !!!

Answer 2

'a' must be a string in your code:

>>> a = 4
>>> b = 8
>>> a * b
32
>>> a = "4"
>>> a * b
'44444444'
>>> int(a) * b
32

• Reuben: Thanks Vinod, correct! the value it is fetching through some function whose default return value is String. Uhh silly mistake !!!

Answer 3

That looks like a is a string, and not an integer. Try this:

a = int(a) * int(b)

Hope that helps