TheAlgorithms/Python · error · ZeroDivisionError

Radius cannot be zero.

Error message

Radius cannot be zero.

What it means

Error "Radius cannot be zero." thrown in TheAlgorithms/Python.

Source

Thrown at physics/escape_velocity.py:45

    Examples:
        >>> escape_velocity(mass=5.972e24, radius=6.371e6)  # Earth
        11185.978
        >>> escape_velocity(mass=7.348e22, radius=1.737e6)  # Moon
        2376.307
        >>> escape_velocity(mass=1.898e27, radius=6.9911e7)  # Jupiter
        60199.545
        >>> escape_velocity(mass=0, radius=1.0)
        0.0
        >>> escape_velocity(mass=1.0, radius=0)
        Traceback (most recent call last):
            ...
        ZeroDivisionError: Radius cannot be zero.
    """
    gravitational_constant = 6.67430e-11  # m^3 kg^-1 s^-2

    if radius == 0:
        raise ZeroDivisionError("Radius cannot be zero.")

    velocity = math.sqrt(2 * gravitational_constant * mass / radius)
    return round(velocity, 3)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    import doctest

    doctest.testmod()
    print("Calculate escape velocity of a celestial body...\n")

    try:
        mass = float(input("Enter mass of the celestial body (in kgs): ").strip())
        radius = float(input("Enter radius from the center of mass (in ms): ").strip())

        velocity = escape_velocity(mass=mass, radius=radius)
        print(f"Escape velocity is {velocity} m/s")

View on GitHub (pinned to f5988cc097)

Solutions

1. Pass a non-zero radius.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at physics/escape_velocity.py:45 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of TheAlgorithms/Python@f5988cc097 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e90a4530b1002cfc. Report an issue: GitHub.