TheAlgorithms/Python · error · TypeError

'float' object cannot be interpreted as an integer

Error message

'float' object cannot be interpreted as an integer

What it means

Raised by decimal_to_any(num, base) in conversions/decimal_to_any.py:67 when the `base` argument is a Python float. The function only accepts an integer radix; a float base would make divmod(num, base) produce fractional remainders and break digit computation, so the library rejects it up front with a TypeError. The message deliberately mirrors CPython's own error text for the same situation in int()/divmod contexts.

Source

Thrown at conversions/decimal_to_any.py:67

    >>> # a base less than 2 will error
    >>> decimal_to_any(7, 0) # doctest: +ELLIPSIS
    Traceback (most recent call last):
        ...
    ValueError: base must be >= 2
    >>> # a base greater than 36 will error
    >>> decimal_to_any(34, 37) # doctest: +ELLIPSIS
    Traceback (most recent call last):
        ...
    ValueError: base must be <= 36
    """
    if isinstance(num, float):
        raise TypeError("int() can't convert non-string with explicit base")
    if num < 0:
        raise ValueError("parameter must be positive int")
    if isinstance(base, str):
        raise TypeError("'str' object cannot be interpreted as an integer")
    if isinstance(base, float):
        raise TypeError("'float' object cannot be interpreted as an integer")
    if base in (0, 1):
        raise ValueError("base must be >= 2")
    if base > 36:
        raise ValueError("base must be <= 36")
    new_value = ""
    mod = 0
    div = 0
    while div != 1:
        div, mod = divmod(num, base)
        if base >= 11 and 9 < mod < 36:
            actual_value = ALPHABET_VALUES[str(mod)]
        else:
            actual_value = str(mod)
        new_value += actual_value
        div = num // base
        num = div
        if div == 0:
            return str(new_value[::-1])

View on GitHub (pinned to f5988cc097)

Solutions

1. Coerce the base to int before calling: decimal_to_any(34, int(base)) — safe only when the float is integral (16.0 -> 16); 2.5 still needs a real fix
2. Use integer division when computing the base dynamically: base = total_bits // group_size instead of /
3. Validate base with isinstance(base, int) at your API boundary and reject non-integral floats with your own error before calling the library

Example fix

# before
decimal_to_any(58, float(cfg["base"]))  # TypeError

# after
decimal_to_any(58, int(cfg["base"]))

def valid_base(base) -> bool:
    return isinstance(base, int) and not isinstance(base, bool) and 2 <= base <= 36

def is_int_base(base: object) -> TypeGuard[int]:
    return isinstance(base, int) and not isinstance(base, bool)

When it happens

Trigger: Calling decimal_to_any(5, 2.5), decimal_to_any(10, 16.0), or any invocation where the base arrives from JSON parsing, config files, or division (e.g. base=32/2) and is therefore a float, even if it is integral-valued like 16.0.

Common situations: Bases read from JSON/YAML/TOML configs often deserialize as floats ("base": 16.0); computing a base dynamically with `/` instead of `//`; wrapping user input with float() before passing it as the radix.

Related errors

• base must be >= 2
• 'float' object cannot be interpreted as an integer
• iterations must be defined as integers
• All weights must be integers but got weight of type {type(wt
• numbers must be an iterable of integers

AI-assisted analysis of TheAlgorithms/Python@f5988cc097 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/60d9cee0860a8e6f. Report an issue: GitHub.