Instead of the modulo operator, which has slightly different semantics, for non-negative integers, you can use the remainder operator %. For your exact example:

if ((a % 2) == 0)
{
    isEven = true;
}
else
{
    isEven = false;
}

This can be simplified to a one-liner:

isEven = (a % 2) == 0;
Answer from Cody Hatch on Stack Overflow
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Programming.Guide
programming.guide › java › remainder-modulo-operator-negative-numbers.html
Java: Remainder (modulo) operator with negative numbers | Programming.Guide
In Java, difference between default, public, protected, and private ... Executing code in comments?! ... The sign of the first operand decides the sign of the result. ... You can think of the sign of the second operand as being ignored. Here's a diagram of x % 5 (which is the same as x % -5). The % computes the remainder in a division and should not be confused with the concept of modulo arithmetic.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › modulo-or-remainder-operator-in-java
Modulo or Remainder Operator in Java - GeeksforGeeks
January 24, 2026 - The modulo operator (%) in Java is an arithmetic operator used to find the remainder after division of one number by another.
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Blogger
beginwithjava.blogspot.com › 2012 › 05 › javas-modulo-function-wrapping-around.html
A Beginning Programmer's Guide to Java: Java's Modulo Function--Wrapping Around
May 14, 2012 - For example, if we're only interested in having a value be a number from 0 to 99, and any value over that is something we don't want, we can use modulo as a way of cutting any number we get down to size.
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Baeldung
baeldung.com › home › java › core java › the modulo operator in java
The Modulo Operator in Java | Baeldung
September 3, 2025 - Using the modulo operator, we prevent writeIndex from falling out of the boundaries of the array; therefore, we’ll never get an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException. However, once we insert more than QUEUE_CAPACITY items, the next item will overwrite the first. In cases where the dividend is negative, Java returns a negative remainder:
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Medium
medium.com › @AlexanderObregon › what-is-javas-modulo-and-how-to-use-it-10e8e464d974
What Is Java’s Modulo (%) and How to Use It | Medium
April 1, 2025 - Java’s modulo operator % shows up all the time—in loops, conditions, and number-based logic—but for a lot of beginners, it can feel a bit unclear. It looks like it's just giving you the remainder of a division, but there’s more going on under the hood.
Find elsewhere
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iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › java-modulus-modulo
Java Modulus/Modulo: Your Guide to Remainder Operations
February 29, 2024 - Think of Java’s modulus operator as a skilled mathematician – it performs modulus operations to find the remainder of a division, a fundamental operation in many programming tasks.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnjava › what the hell is a modulo?
r/learnjava on Reddit: What the HELL is a modulo?
June 30, 2016 -

I have a test tomorrow, in the test one of the questions will be to seperate a number from a 3 digit number, say I have 641, I need to know how to print out 6,4 and 1 seperately.

What the hell do I do ? The teacher is so bad I couldn't understand a word she said and neither did my class, we already complained about her but this isn't the issue, the issue is that I have no easy answers on the internet for what the modulo is.

Why does doing (n/100)%10; print out the hundred digit ? I have no idea how this works, please go easy on me.

Top answer
1 of 5
3
The modulo operator returns the "remainder" of a division. If you think back to your early days at school, when you first learned dividing using long divisions , you learned that for 14/4 the result is 3 and the remainder is 2. Because "4" fits "3" times in '14", but then you still have a remainder of "2" so that: 14 = 4 x 3 + 2 Now, why do they suggest using the modulo operator to get the different numbers (6, 4, 1). Well, let's start from the right. If we divide 641/10, we know that it fits 64 times inside 641 and the remainder is 1. In java terms this is: int lastDigit = 641 % 10; // 1 Now, you can repeat the same process over and over again, however, we need to "shift" the number a bit. For example, if we want to know the second digit, we first divide 641 by 10, so that we only have 64. Now we can just retrieve the last digit again by using the modulo operator: int secondDigit = 641 / 10 % 10; // = 64 % 10 = 4 Now, you should start to see a system here. You can keep doing this trick over and over again, but in stead of dividing by 10, you divide by 100, 1000, 10000, 100000, ... and you get the next digit every time. In your case, the left digit can be retrieved by using: int firstDigit = 641 / 100 % 10; // = 6 % 10 = 6 In this case, it's pretty "useless" to use the modulo operator, because if you have a number with only 3 digits, dividing by 100 will already yield the left most digit. However, let's say that our number was 1234, then we would get: int digit = 1234 / 100 % 10; // = 12 % 10 = 2
2 of 5
1
Modulo is the remainder from integer division. 4 / 3 = 1 r 1 4 % 3 = 1
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Dot Net Perls
dotnetperls.com › modulo-java
Java - Modulo Operator Examples - Dot Net Perls
Java · Modulo Operator Examples · Links · Updated Jul 7, 2022 · for Loop ExamplesMath.floor Method, floorDiv and floorMod · In programs we often use the modulo division operator to compute remainders. A "%" performs modulo division. It returns the part left over when the numbers are divided.
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Codemia
codemia.io › knowledge-hub › path › mod_in_java_produces_negative_numbers_duplicate
Mod in Java produces negative numbers
Enhance your system design skills with over 120 practice problems, detailed solutions, and hands-on exercises
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Whizdom Trainings
javaspringhibernate.com › core-java-training › forum › 7841 › what-is-the-difference-between-modulus-and-divide-symbol-in-java-and
What is the difference between modulus and divide symbol in java(% and /)? | Core Java Forum
In Java, modulo operator(%) returns the remainder of a division operation · while the divide operator returns the quotient of a division operation. For example, if you divide 10 by 3, the result is 3 with a remainder of 1. The modulo operator ...
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Guvi
ftp.guvi.in › hub › java-examples-tutorial › java-modulo-operator
Modulo Operator in Java
The modulo operator returns the remainder of the division of two numbers and is used for even numbers, range, digits, and time conversion.
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Oracleappsdeveloper
oracleappsdeveloper.com › 2019 › 03 › modulo-operator-java.html
Oracle Help: Modulo Operator: Java
March 15, 2019 - 21 modulo 5 is 1 22 modulo 5 is 2 23 modulo 5 is 3 24 modulo 5 is 4 25 modulo 5 is 0 In C, C++ and Java, modulo is represented as the percent sign.
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Edureka
edureka.co › blog › mod-method-in-java
Modulus in Java | Remainder or Modulus Operator in Java | Edureka
July 5, 2024 - Modulus in Java is an Operator. % is also known as the modulus or remainder operator. The % operator returns the remainder of two numbers
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › java › java_operators_arithmetic.asp
Java Arithmetic Operators
Data Types Numbers Booleans Characters Real-Life Example Non-primitive Types The var Keyword Code Challenge Java Type Casting Java Operators
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IONOS
ionos.com › digital guide › websites › web development › java modulo
How to use the Java modulo operator - IONOS
December 18, 2024 - That’s what the Java modulo operator is for. It’s also known as the remainder operator, as it de­ter­mines and returns the remainder after two numbers are divided. There are various sit­u­a­tions in which it is extremely important. The operator can be used, for example, to find out whether a number is even or odd or whether a number is prime.
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Modulo
ctp.mkprog.com › en › java › modulo
Java | Modulo: % | Easy language reference
by using the modulo operator we can easily test the divisibility of integers, if the result is 0, then the number is divisible without a remainder.
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JavaBeat
javabeat.net › home › how to use modulo or remainder operator in java
How to Use Modulo or Remainder Operator in Java
March 20, 2024 - The modulo operator in Java performs division on given values and retrieves the remainder as output. It is denoted with a percent sign “%”.