Thread: The operator / is undefined for the argument type(s)

Question (school):

Write a program that prompts for two numbers, then divides the first by the second. Write the answer in the form "<a> divided by <b> is <answer>."

My Code:

import java.io.*;  //this needs to be at the top of your program, right below the “packages”
/**
   * @author: My Name
   * @date: 2013-09-27
   * @filename: ICS3UMyNameJavaAssignment2d.java
   * @description: Asks the user for 2 numbers than divides the first number by the second.
   */
public class ICS3UMyNameJavaAssignment2d
{
  public static void main (String[] args) throws Exception {
    {
      BufferedReader buffer = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
      String f; //creates a string variable to get first number from user
      double first = 0.0; //double first needed later
      System.out.print("Enter the first number: ");  //gets first number from user
      f = buffer.readLine(); //reads a line from the console
      first = Double.parseDouble(f);//gets the double value from string variable f
      System.out.println(f + " will be divided by: "); //states string variable f
 
      String s; //creates a string variable to get time (travelled) from user
      double second = 0.0; //double second
      System.out.print("Enter the second number: "); //gets the second number from user
      s = buffer.readLine(); //reads a line from the console
      second = Double.parseDouble(s);//gets the double value from string variable s
      System.out.println("The quotient of " + f + " and " + s + " is " + f/s); //output
    }
  }
}

Error:

1 error found:
[B]Error: The operator / is undefined for the argument type(s) java.lang.String, java.lang.String[/B]

Place 'f/s' in parentheses, ( f / s ).

Error:

Error: The operator / is undefined for the argument type(s) java.lang.String, java.lang.String

Is the new error after adding that.

System.out.println("The quotient of " + f + " and " + s +  " is " + (f / s)); //output

EDIT:
I solved it I was using the strings to divide the quotient I had to use the double (first and second not f and s)

import java.io.*;  //this needs to be at the top of your program, right below the “packages”
/**
   * @author: My Name
   * @date: 2013-09-27
   * @filename: ICS3UMyNameJavaAssignment2d.java
   * @description: Asks the user for 2 numbers than divides the first number by the second.
   */
public class ICS3UMyNameJavaAssignment2d
{
  public static void main (String[] args) throws Exception {
    {
      BufferedReader buffer = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
      String f; //creates a string variable to get first number from user
      double first = 0.0; //double first needed later
      System.out.print("Enter the first number: ");  //gets first number from user
      f = buffer.readLine(); //reads a line from the console
      first = Double.parseDouble(f);//gets the double value from string variable f
      System.out.println(f + " will be divided by: "); //states string variable f
 
      String s; //creates a string variable to get time (travelled) from user
      double second = 0.0; //double second
      System.out.print("Enter the second number: "); //gets the second number from user
      s = buffer.readLine(); //reads a line from the console
      second = Double.parseDouble(s);//gets the double value from string variable 
      System.out.println("The quotient of " + f + " and " + s +  " is " + (first / second)); //output
    }
  }
}

Oh! 'S'cuse me! I assumed that 'f' and 's' were numerical variables. Why aren't they? I think you mean to use 'first' and 'second' rather than 'f' and 's'.

Yes I did, thanks!

You can close this thread and mark it as solved.
Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

I can't, but I think you can. You're welcome.

Originally Posted by GregBrannon

I can't, but I think you can. You're welcome.

Just looked at the next question and it says I need to display the answer I get from the question above (the one you helped me answer) as a % so basically for the code above if I did first number 25 and second number 5 I need to show the answer (5) as a % which I have no idea how to do.

A quotient is multiplied by 100 to give the 'percent'. For 25/5, the result '5' is "500 percent." For another example with a quotient less than 1, let's say 5 / 25 = 0.2, multiplying by 100 gives the "percent" answer as "20 percent."

Hope that helps explain it.