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2.4 PHP Math

PHP has a set of math functions that allows you to perform mathematical tasks on numbers.

The pi() function returns the value of PI:

<?php
echo(pi()); // returns 3.1415926535898
?>

The min() and max() functions can be used to find the lowest or highest value in a list of arguments:

<?php
echo(min(0, 150, 30, 20, -8, -200));  // returns -200
echo(max(0, 150, 30, 20, -8, -200));  // returns 150
?>

The abs() function returns the absolute (positive) value of a number:

<?php
echo(abs(-6.7));  // returns 6.7
?>

The sqrt() function returns the square root of a number:

<?php
echo(sqrt(64));  // returns 8
?>

The round() function rounds a floating-point number to its nearest integer:

<?php
echo(round(0.60));  // returns 1
echo(round(0.49));  // returns 0
?>

The rand() function generates a random number:

<?php
echo(rand());
?>

To get more control over the random number, you can add the optional min and max parameters to specify the lowest integer and the highest integer to be returned.
For example, if you want a random integer between 10 and 100 (inclusive), use rand(10, 100):

<?php
echo(rand(10, 100));
?>

For a complete reference of all math functions, go to W3Schools.com complete PHP Math Reference.
The PHP math reference contains description and example of use, for each function.

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