this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2026
60 points (94.1% liked)
Science Memes
19026 readers
118 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
5 % 2 = 1
Freaking hell even ddg search gives that answer.
You are misunderstanding what the remainder is.
5 % 2 == 1, because 5 == 2 x 2 + 1
10 % 7 == 3, because 10 == 1 x 7 + 3
Your "edit 2" is mostly correct. I don't think of it "undoing" the division. But if that makes sense to you then I guess it's fine
Wait, what?
% is used in C and various other programming as the modulo "operator". DDG calculator does explain itself by restating the input to mod(5,2).
Computer programmers are just lazy and will steal any commonly understood symbol and reporpoise it to save a few key strokes.
Modulo is much easier to understand with clocks.
Suppose It is currently midnight. What time will it be in 3 hours? 3 mod 24 = 3. It will be 03:00
What time will it be in 27 hours? 27 mod 24 = 3. We go through a whole day (24 hours) to get back to midnight, then continue another 3 hours, for a total of 27. The time will be 03:00.
What time will it be 48 hours from now? 48 mod 24 = 0. 48 hours from midnight will be midnight.
What time will it be 6 hours from now? 6 mod 24 = 6.
Conceptually, X mod Y means that instead of 24 hours per day, we are splitting the day into Y "hours", labeled 0 to Y-1. We start at 0, and pass through X "hours". X mod Y is the "hour" we finish up in at the end. 5 mod 2 means we have a 2-hour day, with hours 0 and 1. We pass through 5 of those hours. When we finish, are we at hour 0 or hour 1?
It's not undoing the division, it never happens in the first place. Remainders aren't ever fractions, that's the whole point, they're left over because they can't be divided evenly. 5 % 2, you can take 2 away twice and you'll have 1 left over which can't have 2 taken away.