Operator in C

An operator is a symbol that performs a specific operation on one or more operands (variables or values). Operators are used to manipulate data and variables in a program.

Classification of Operators

Operators in C are classified into the following categories:

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1. Arithmetic Operators

Perform basic arithmetic operations.

Operator	Description	Example
+	Addition	a + b
-	Subtraction	a - b
*	Multiplication	a * b
/	Division	a / b
%	Modulus (Remainder)	a % b

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2. Relational Operators

Compare two values and return a boolean result (true or false).

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

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3. Logical Operators

Used to perform logical operations.

Operator	Description	Example
&&	Logical AND	a && b
||	Logical OR	a || b
!	Logical NOT	!a

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4. Bitwise Operators

Perform operations at the bit level.

Operator	Description	Example
&	Bitwise AND	a & b
|	Bitwise OR	a|b
^	Bitwise XOR	a ^ b
~	Bitwise Complement	~a
<<	Left Shift	a << 2
>>	Right Shift	a >> 2

5. Assignment Operators

Assign values to variables.

Operator	Description	Example
=	Assign	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

6. Increment and Decrement Operators

Increase or decrease the value of a variable by 1.

Operator	Description	Example
++	Increment	a++ (Post), ++a (Pre)
--	Decrement	a-- (Post), --a (Pre)

7. Conditional (Ternary) Operator

A shorthand for if-else conditions.

Operator	Description	Example
? :	Condition ? True : False	a > b ? a : b

8. Special Operators

Used for specific purposes.

Operator	Description	Example
sizeof	Returns the size of a data type	sizeof(int)
&	Address of a variable	&a
*	Pointer to a variable	*ptr

Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
int a = 10, b = 5, result;

// Arithmetic Operators
result = a + b; // Addition
printf(“Addition: %d\n”, result);

// Relational Operators
printf(“a > b: %d\n”, a > b); // Greater than

// Logical Operators
printf(“(a > b AND a != 0)= %d\n”, (a > b) && (a != 0)); // Logical AND

// Assignment Operators
a += b; // a = a + b
printf(“After a += b: %d\n”, a);

return 0;
}

Output:

1. Arithmetic Operators (a + b)
   • a=10, b=5
   • result = a + b = 10 + 5 = 15
   • Output: Addition: 15
2. Relational Operators (a > b)
   • a=10, b=5
   • 10>5 is true, so output is 1.
   • Output: a > b: 1
3. Logical Operators ((a > b) && (a != 0))
   • a=10, b=5
   • (10>5) AND (10≠0)
   • Both conditions are true, so output is 1.
   • Output: (a > b AND a != 0) = 1
4. Assignment Operators (a += b)
   • a=10, b=5
   • a = a + b = 10 + 5 = 15
   • Output: After a += b: 15