Check if a number is odd or even in Python

A number is even when it divides by 2 with nothing left over. The % operator gives that remainder.

The program

n = int(input("Enter a whole number: "))

if n % 2 == 0:
    print(f"{n} is even")
else:
    print(f"{n} is odd")

Typed in this example: 7. Press Run to type your own.

Enter a whole number: 7
7 is odd

How it works

• n % 2 is the remainder when n is divided by 2. It is always 0 or 1.
• == compares two values. (A single = stores a value; it does not compare.)
• This also works for negative numbers and zero: -4 % 2 is 0, so -4 is even, and so is 0.

Checking a list of numbers

for n in [3, 8, 0, -5]:
    print(n, "even" if n % 2 == 0 else "odd")

3 odd
8 even
0 even
-5 odd

"even" if ... else "odd" is a conditional expression: a short form of if/else that gives back one of two values.