Number

A number that can be positive, negative, or zero.

The Number data type is useful for describing values such as position, size, and color. A number can be an integer such as 20 or a decimal number such as 12.34. For example, a circle's position and size can be described by three numbers:

circle(50, 50, 20);

circle(50, 50, 12.34);

Numbers support basic arithmetic and follow the standard order of operations: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction (PEMDAS). For example, it's common to use arithmetic operators with p5.js' system variables that are numbers:

// Draw a circle at the center.
circle(width / 2, height / 2, 20);

// Draw a circle that moves from left to right.
circle(frameCount * 0.01, 50, 20);

Here's a quick overview of the arithmetic operators:

1 + 2 // Add
1 - 2 // Subtract
1 * 2 // Multiply
1 / 2 // Divide
1 % 2 // Remainder
1 ** 2 // Exponentiate

It's common to update a number variable using arithmetic. For example, an object's location can be updated like so:

x = x + 1;

The statement above adds 1 to a variable x using the + operator. The addition assignment operator += expresses the same idea:

x += 1;

Here's a quick overview of the assignment operators:

x += 2 // Addition assignment
x -= 2 // Subtraction assignment
x *= 2 // Multiplication assignment
x /= 2 // Division assignment
x %= 2 // Remainder assignment

Numbers can be compared using the relational operators >, << code="">, >=, <=< code="">, ===, and !==. For example, a sketch's frameCount can be used as a timer:

if (frameCount > 1000) {
  text('Game over!', 50, 50);
}

An expression such as frameCount > 1000 evaluates to a Boolean value that's either true or false. The relational operators all produce Boolean values:

2 > 1 // true
2 < 1 // false
2 >= 2 // true
2 <= 2="" true="" !="=" false<="" code=""/>

See Boolean for more information about comparisons and conditions.

Note: There are also == and != operators with one fewer =. Don't use them.

Expressions with numbers can also produce special values when something goes wrong:

sqrt(-1) // NaN
1 / 0 // Infinity

The value NaN stands for Not-A-Number. NaN appears when calculations or conversions don't work. Infinity is a value that's larger than any number. It appears during certain calculations.