Beginning AppleScript®

2.5. Arithmetic Operators and Expressions

AppleScript supports the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Several other operations are also supported, as you learn in the following Try It Out.

2.5.1.

2.5.1.1. Try It Out: Understanding Arithmetic Operations

Follow these steps to get some practice with arithmetic operations.

1. Type the following program into Script Editor:

   -- Basic arithmetic operations
   
   set a to 10
   set b to 3
   set c to 25
   set d to 4
   
   log -a    -- negation
   log a + b -- addition
   log a - b -- subtraction
   log a * b -- multiplication
   log a / b -- division
   log a div b -- integer division
   log a mod b -- remainder
   log a ^ b -- exponentiation
   
   -- operator precedence
   
   log a + b * c
   log a * b + c * d
   log a * (b + c) * d -- parentheses
   log a ^ -b * c
   
   log 100 mod 10 div 3

2. Click the Event Log tab and run the program. You get the following results in the lower pane:

   (*-10*)
   (*13*)
   (*7*)
   (*30*)
   (*3.333333333333*)
   (*3*)
   (*1*)
   (*1000.0*)
   (*85*)
   (*130*)
   (*1120*)
   (*0.025*)
   (*0*)

2.5.1.2. How It Works

The following table summarizes AppleScript's arithmetic operators.

Operator	Meaning	Type of Result
−	unary minus	integer or real
^	exponentiation	real
* / div mod	multiplication division integer division integer remainder	integer or real real integer integer or real
+ −	addition subtraction	integer or real integer or real

All operators except the unary minus operator are binary operators, meaning that they operate on two values, one listed before and the other after the operator. ...