[Fixed] Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer

The Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer error that occurs when we tried to perform the operations on floating numbers that can only be performed on integer values. There can be various scenarios where we might face this problem. In this short article, we will learn how we can get rid of this problem using various methods. First, we will solve the problem, then discuss the reasons behind the problem, and then will go into more detail and will learn related keywords about the problem.

Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer – Possible solutions

We know there can be various reasons behind this error. For example, you might have passed floating points to the function that expects integer values or you are performing an operation on floating points that are only allowed on integer values. Anyways, whatever the scenario is, the main reason for this error is that we are trying to pass floating points when we have to pass the integer values.

For example, see the example below with the Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer error:

# defining  a floating number
number = 3.4

# using for loop
for i in range(3.4):
    print(i)

Output:

As you can see, we got the error because we can only use the integer values for a range but we have used floating points.

We can use the following methods to solve the problem.

• Using integer values to solve the problem
• Using floor division to solve the problem
• Using typecasting to solve the problem
• Exception handling to handle the issue

Now let us try different methods to get rid of this problem:

Solution-1: Using integer values to solve the problem

As we know the error is because we are using floating points when we need to use integer values for the specified operations. In our case, we were using floating points in for loop which is not possible.

So, we will replace the floating point with an integer value and the error will be solved:

# defining  a floating number
number = 3

# using for loop
for i in range(number):
    print(i)

Output;

0
1
2

As you can see, this time the error was solved because we used integer values.

Solution-2: Using floor division to solve the problem

Another way to handle the Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer error is using floor division. If you are using the output of division in your code and getting this error, then instead of simple division, it is advised to use floor division because it will then return an integer value.

For example, see the code below:

# defining  a floating number
number = 10/3

# using for loop
for i in range(number):
    print(i)

Output:

To solve this issue, we will use floor division because the floor division method returns an integer value as shown below:

# floor division
number = 10//3

# using for loop
for i in range(number):
    print(i)

Output:

0
1
2

As you can see, now the error has gone because we used the floor division which returns an integer value.

Solution-3: Using typecasting to solve the problem

Type Casting is the method to convert the variable data type into a certain data type in order to the operation required to be performed by users. So, if we are getting an error because of the floating points, then we can use typecasting.

See the example below where we are using typecasting to convert floating points into integers:

# defining floating number 
number = 4.3

# using for loop
for i in range(int(number)):
    print(i)

Output:

0
1
2
3

As you can see, we get rid of the error:

Solution-4: Exception handling to handle the issue

In general, when a Python script encounters a situation that it cannot cope with, it raises an exception. An exception is a Python object that represents an error. When a Python script raises an exception, it must either handle the exception immediately otherwise it terminates and quits.

So, if there is an error, the python code will not crash but still run and will give us output to see where the error is:

For example, see the following program:

# try block
try:
    num = 4.5
    
    # using for loop-- returns error
    for i in range(num):
        print(i)

# exccpt blck
except TypeError:
    
    # customize message
    print("TypeError: range doesn't support float values")

Output:

TypeError: range doesn't support float values

As you can see, there was an error in the try block, and because of this the except block was executed without crashing the script.

Explanation of the TypeError in Python

If you are interested in learning what TypeError means in Python then you can continue reading these sections as well. The Python TypeError is an exception that occurs when the data type of an object in an operation is inappropriate. This can happen when an operation is performed on an object of an incorrect type, or it is not supported for the object.

What is a data type in Python?

In Python data type is a category of different values: Some of the common datatype in Python includes:

• Int:
• Float
• str
• bool
• list
• tuple
• dict
• set
• array

We can use the type() method in Python to get the type of the variable. For example, see the following script.

# defining a number
num = 3.4

# printing type
print(type(num))

Output:

<class 'float'>

As shown, the type of the given variable is float.

Reasons for getting this error

This error typically occurs when you try to use a float (a decimal number) as an index or argument in a function that expects an integer (a whole number). Here are some common reasons why this error might occur:

1. Indexing an array or list with a float value instead of an integer value.
2. Trying to use a float value as an argument for a function that expects an integer argument.
3. Mixing float and integer values in a mathematical operation that requires only integer values.
4. Using a float value as a slice argument in a list or string.
5. Passing a float value to a range() function as the start, stop, or step argument, when only integer values are allowed.
6. Using a float value as an argument to the bin() function, which expects an integer value.

Summary

In this article, we learned about Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer error. We discussed how we can solve the error using various methods by solving examples. We discussed that the Typeerror: ‘float’ object cannot be interpreted as an integer error belonging to TypeError which means we are performing an operation on different data types.

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