PHP array_product Function

last modified March 13, 2025

The PHP array_product function calculates the product of values in an array. It multiplies all elements together and returns the result.

Basic Definition

The array_product function computes the product of array values. It returns the product as integer or float, depending on input values.

Syntax: array_product(array $array): int|float. Empty arrays return 1. Non-numeric values are treated as 0 (except in PHP 8.0+).

Basic array_product Example

This demonstrates multiplying a simple array of integers.

basic_array_product.php

<?php

$numbers = [2, 3, 4];
$product = array_product($numbers);

echo "The product is: " . $product;

This calculates 2 × 3 × 4 = 24. The function handles all numeric types and returns the correct product of array elements.

Multiplying Floating Point Numbers

array_product works with floating-point numbers too.

float_product.php

<?php

$prices = [1.99, 2.49, 0.99];
$total = array_product($prices);

echo "Total product: " . number_format($total, 2);

This multiplies decimal numbers. The result is formatted to 2 decimal places. The function preserves floating-point precision in calculations.

Empty Array Behavior

An empty array returns 1, which is the multiplicative identity.

empty_array.php

<?php

$empty = [];
$result = array_product($empty);

echo "Product of empty array: " . $result;

This shows the mathematical convention where the product of no elements is 1. This matches how sum of empty array is 0 (additive identity).

Handling Non-Numeric Values

Non-numeric values are converted to numbers before multiplication.

mixed_values.php

<?php

$mixed = [2, "3", "apple", 4];
$product = array_product($mixed);

echo "Product: " . $product;

Strings that can't be converted to numbers become 0, making the entire product 0. Numeric strings are properly converted to numbers.

Factorial Calculation

array_product can calculate factorials using range().

factorial.php

<?php

function factorial(int $n): int {
    return array_product(range(1, $n));
}

echo "5! = " . factorial(5);

This calculates 5 factorial (5! = 1×2×3×4×5 = 120). The range function creates an array from 1 to n, which array_product multiplies.

Best Practices

Type Safety: Ensure array contains only numeric values.
Empty Arrays: Remember empty arrays return 1.
Large Numbers: Watch for integer overflow with big products.
Precision: Be mindful of floating-point precision issues.

Source

PHP array_product Documentation

This tutorial covered the PHP array_product function with practical examples showing its usage for various multiplication scenarios.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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