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- C - Operators
- C - Arithmetic Operators
- C - Relational Operators
- C - Logical Operators
- C - Bitwise Operators
- C - Assignment Operators
- C - Unary Operators
- C - Increment and Decrement Operators
- C - Ternary Operator
- C - sizeof Operator
- C - Operator Precedence
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C Programming - C Operators
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C Programming - C Operators
C Operators
Operators in C are special symbols or keywords used to perform specific operations on variables or values. C supports a rich set of operators for various operations such as arithmetic, logical, relational, bitwise, and more.
Types of Operators
- Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical calculations.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
+ |
Addition |
a + b |
|
- |
Subtraction |
a - b |
|
* |
Multiplication |
a * b |
|
/ |
Division |
a / b |
|
% |
Modulus (remainder) |
a % b |
- Relational (Comparison) Operators
Relational operators are used to compare two values.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
== |
Equal to |
a == b |
|
!= |
Not equal to |
a != b |
|
< |
Less than |
a < b |
|
> |
Greater than |
a > b |
|
<= |
Less than or equal to |
a <= b |
|
>= |
Greater than or equal to |
a >= b |
- Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to perform logical operations.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
&& |
Logical AND |
(a > b) && (c > d) |
|
` |
` |
|
|
! |
Logical NOT |
!(a > b) |
- Bitwise Operators
Bitwise operators work on binary representations of integers.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Operator |
Description |
Example |
|
& |
Bitwise AND |
a & b |
|
` |
` |
Bitwise OR |
|
^ |
Bitwise XOR |
a ^ b |
|
~ |
Bitwise NOT |
~a |
|
<< |
Left shift |
a << 2 |
|
>> |
Right shift |
a >> 2 |
- Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
= |
Assign value |
a = 5 |
|
+= |
Add and assign |
a += 5 |
|
-= |
Subtract and assign |
a -= 5 |
|
*= |
Multiply and assign |
a *= 5 |
|
/= |
Divide and assign |
a /= 5 |
|
%= |
Modulus and assign |
a %= 5 |
- Increment and Decrement Operators
These operators increase or decrease the value of a variable by 1.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
++ |
Increment |
++a, a++ |
|
-- |
Decrement |
--a, a-- |
- Conditional (Ternary) Operator
The ternary operator is a shorthand for if-else conditions.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
? : |
Ternary conditional |
x = (a > b) ? a : b; |
- Special Operators
- Sizeof Operator: Used to find the size of a data type or variable.
C
int a = 5;
printf("%lu", sizeof(a)); // Outputs size of 'a' in bytes
- Comma Operator: Used to separate expressions.
C
int a, b = (1, 2); // b gets the value 2
- Pointer Operators:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
* |
Dereference operator |
*ptr |
|
& |
Address-of operator |
&var |
Operator Precedence and Associativity
Precedence: Determines the order of evaluation of operators.
Associativity: Determines the direction of evaluation (left-to-right or right-to-left).
| Precedence | Operators | Associativity |
|---|---|---|
|
Highest |
(), [], ->, . |
Left-to-right |
|
++, -- (Postfix) |
Left-to-right |
|
|
+, -, *, /, % |
Left-to-right |
|
|
Lowest |
=, +=, -= (Assignment) |
Right-to-left |
Examples
Arithmetic Example
C
int a = 10, b = 20;
printf("Sum: %d", a + b); // Outputs: Sum: 30
Relational Example
C
if (a > b) {
printf("a is greater");
} else {
printf("b is greater");
}
Logical Example
C
if ((a > b) && (b > 0)) {
printf("Condition satisfied");
}
Bitwise Example
C
int a = 5; // Binary: 0101
int b = 3; // Binary: 0011
printf("Bitwise AND: %d", a & b); // Outputs: 1 (0001)
Key Points
- Use parentheses to ensure clarity and desired evaluation order.
- Be cautious with operator precedence to avoid unintended results.
- Understand the data type compatibility for bitwise and arithmetic operations.
- Use logical operators for condition checks and bitwise operators for low-level manipulations.