Modulation (mathematics)

In mathematics, modulation works out the remainder (what's left over) when we divide two integers (whole numbers without a fraction or a decimal) together. For example, 5 modulated by 2 is 1, because if we divide 5 by 2, then we get 2 (because $2\times 2=4$) with 1 left over. The symbol for modulation is ${\boldsymbol {\backslash }}$. People sometimes also write $mod$, though this notation is rarely used.

Because computers and calculators store numbers in different ways, they sometimes use different steps to work out the modulus (what we get when we modulate two numbers).

Modulation is like if you have five cookies to share between three sisters. Each sister gets one cookie and there are two cookies left over. That means that 5 mod 3 is 2.

But that only works if the sisters all want to share with each other. If the one named Margie is a meanie, then she will take all the extra cookies and the other sisters will be sad :(.

Related pages

• Primitive root modulo n
• Modular arithmetic