Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn if you’re a beginner at coding. That said, regardless of your expertise, the language is powerful enough for you to do just about anything from computer vision to churning out powerful mathematical calculations. 

In this article, we’re talking about the “ValueError: math domain error” issue in Python, its causes and what you can do to fix the problem.

What causes the error?

The error usually occurs when you’re carrying out a math operation with mathematically undefined values or one that falls outside the domain of the operation. Other common causes include:

• Logical errors in the calculation code.
• A particular library supporting the operation hasn’t been imported. 
• Incorrect implementation of a specific operation. 

Also read: Is Python case sensitive when dealing with identifiers?

How to fix this error?

There’s no particular solution to this error as the solution will change based on what operation you’re using and its implementation. For example, if you’re using the sqrt method to find out the square root of a number in Python, if the input number is negative, you’ll end up with a math domain error as finding the square root of a negative number falls outside that operation’s domain. 

To fix this issue, simply go over your code and check your input values for whatever function you’re using to ensure that the final values that you use with a particular mathematical function are mathematically possible. If the input isn’t hard-coded, you can implement and if-elif conditional statement to ensure only the correct input is passed to a particular method. Otherwise, you can just terminate your program with an appropriate error message about the invalidity of the input. 

Also read: How to fix Fatal error: Python.h: No such file or directory?