What happens when the Java program encounters a division by zero?

In Java, when a program attempts to divide an integer by zero, it results in a runtime error known as ArithmeticException. This exception occurs specifically because division by zero is mathematically undefined for integers. When the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) detects this illegal operation during execution, it interrupts the normal flow of the program and throws this exception. The program will terminate unless the exception is properly caught and handled using a try-catch block.

It's important to understand that this behavior is specific to integer division; if you perform division with floating-point types (like float or double), the result will not cause a runtime error. Instead, dividing by zero in such cases results in special floating-point values like Infinity or NaN (Not a Number), which is a different scenario altogether.

In contrast to the statement about continuing execution silently, producing unexpected output, or issues related to compilation, the occurrence of a runtime exception clearly indicates that the program can't proceed unless the situation is managed through exception handling. This emphasizes the need for programmers to anticipate such conditions and include error handling in their code to ensure robust applications.