How do I divide in the Linux console?

Question

I have to variables and I want to find the value of one divided by the other. What commands should I use to do this?

Answer 1

echo 5/2 | bc -l

2.50000000000000000000

this '-l' option in 'bc' allows floating results

Answer 2

Example of integer division using bash to divide $a by $b:

echo $((a/b))

Answer 3

I assume that by Linux console you mean Bash.

If X and Y are your variables, $(($X / $Y)) returns what you ask for.

Answer 4

You can use awk which is a utility/language designed for data extraction

e.g. for 1.2/3.4

>echo 1.2 3.4 | awk '{ print $2/$1 }'
0.352941

Answer 5

I also had the same problem. It's easy to divide integer numbers but decimal numbers are not that easy. if you have 2 numbers like 3.14 and 2.35 and divide the numbers then, the code will be Division=echo 3.14 / 2.35 | bc echo "$Division" the quotes are different. Don't be confused, it's situated just under the esc button on your keyboard. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE | bc and also here echo works as an operator for the arithmetic calculations in stead of printing. So, I had added echo "$Division" for printing the value. Let me know if it works for you. Thank you.

Answer 6

Better way is to use "bc", an arbitrary precision calculator.

variable=$(echo "OPTIONS; OPERATIONS" | bc)

ex:

my_var=$(echo "scale=5; $temp_var/100 + $temp_var2" | bc)

where "scale=5" is accuracy.

man bc 

comes with several usage examples.