Operators in C++

Operators in C++ are symbols that help the compiler to perform various types of mathematical, logical, and bitwise operations on the operands. Also, operators help developers to manipulate data and do computations easily. In this article, we will discuss what operators are in C++, types of operators, miscellaneous operators, and operator precedence and associativity in C++.

Table of Contents:

• What are Operators in C++
• Types of Operators in C++
  • Arithmetic Operators
  • Relational Operators
  • Logical Operators
  • Bitwise Operators
  • Assignment Operators
  • Ternary (Conditional) Operator
• Miscellaneous Operators in C++
  • Sizeof Operator (sizeof)
  • Comma Operator (,)
  • Address-of Operator (&)
  • Dot Operator (.)
  • Arrow Operator (->)
  • Casting Operators
• Operator Precedence and Associativity in C++
  • Operator Precedence
  • Operator Associativity
• Conclusion

What are Operators in C++?

Operators in C++ are the symbols that perform operations on the variables and values, and they are used to manipulate data, execute computations, and control program flow. C++ provides various types of operators, which help to perform different programming operations efficiently.

Types of Operators in C++

Operators in C++ are of six types based on the operations they perform. Now, let’s discuss each in detail.

1. Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators in C++ are used to perform the basic mathematical operations such as addition, multiplication, division, etc. These operators are classified into two types, as Unary and Binary operators.

• Unary operators are the operators that perform operations on a single operand.
• Binary operators are the operators that perform operations on two operands.

Here is the description of all the arithmetic operators in C++:

Example:

Output:

The code shows the arithmetic operations in a C++ program along with pre-increment (++x) and post-increment(x++), which return the value before incrementing, using the arithmetic operators to show how the value changes after the operations.

2. Relational Operators

Relational operators in C++ are used to compare two values and return a Boolean value, either true(1) or false(0), as a result of the comparison. These operators are also known as the Comparison Operators. 

Here is the description of all the relational operators in C++:

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the relational operators give the results by comparing two integers, a and b, and then prints 1 as true and 0 as false based on the evaluation of equality conditions.

3. Logical Operators

Logical Operators in C++ are used to perform logical operations on Boolean expressions and return true or false as a result by evaluating the given conditions. They are commonly used in decision-making statements such as if, while, and for loops.

Here is the description of all the logical operators in C++:

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the logical operators give the results by checking that the two integers a and b are true or not for the conditions provided in the program and prints the output according to the evaluations.

4. Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators in C++ are used to perform operations at the bit level, which manipulate the individual bits of integer data types. The operands are first changed into bits, such as 0 and 1, and then the evaluation is done.

Here is the description of all the bitwise operators in C++:

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the bitwise operators on two integers, a and b, perform various bitwise operations and prints the results based on the binary calculations.

5. Assignment Operators

Assignment operators in C++ are the operators that are used to assign a value to the variables. These operators also perform arithmetic or bitwise operations before assigning the result.

Here is the description of all the assignment operators in C++:

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the assignment operators perform arithmetic operations with two integers, a and b, then updates the results and prints the results step by step to the console.

6. Ternary (Conditional) Operator

The ternary operator in C++ is an alternative to if-else statements, which evaluates if a condition is true or false and returns one of two values based on that condition. This operator is also known as the Conditional operator in C++. Also, the ternary operator works on three operands.

Syntax:

condition? expression1 : expression2;

Returns:

• If the condition is true, then the expression1 is executed.
• If the condition is false, then the expression2 is executed.

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the ternary operator compares two integers, a and b, and then assigns the larger value to the max, which is then printed as a result to the console.

Miscellaneous Operators in C++

There are a few miscellaneous operators in C++ that are not used for any type of operations and cannot be classified into any of the above-discussed categories.

Let’s know each one of them in more detail with C++ examples:

1. Sizeof Operator (sizeof)

The sizeof operator in C++ gives the size of a data type or a variable in bytes as a result, and it is a compile-time operator that is used to know the memory requirements of a data type used in the program.

Syntax:

sizeof(type) // For data types
sizeof(variable) // For variables

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the sizeof operator returns the memory size in bytes of the integer x and double y, which is then printed as a result to the console.

2. Comma Operator (,)

The comma operator in C++ evaluates multiple expressions from left to right and returns the value of the last expression as a result.

Syntax:

expression1, expression2, ..., expressionN

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the comma operator evaluates multiple expressions in a = (5, 10); and z = (x += 5, y += 10, x + y); and then after evaluating both the expressions, a is assigned the value 10 and z is assigned with 18, which is printed to the console.

3. Address-of Operator (&)

The address-of operator in C++ gives the memory address of a variable as a result. It is commonly used with pointers to store and manipulate the memory locations.

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the address-of operator gives the memory address as a result of the initialized variable x wth the value of 10, and the ptr helps to access the memory location of the variable as it stores the address of x.

4. Dot Operator (.)

The dot operator in C++ is used to access the members of a class, structure, or union using an object in the program.

Example:

Output:

The code shows that the dot operator is used to access the members s1.name and s1.age of a struct Student, and then the values are printed to the console.

5. Arrow Operator (->)

The arrow operator in C++ is used to access the members of a structure or a class using a pointer to an object in the program.

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the arrow operator is used to access the members of the class Car using a pointer, the ptr->show() calls the function, and the ptr-> brand accesses the brand variable of the Car object, and then the result is printed to the console.

6. Casting Operators

Casting operators in C++ are used to convert one data type to another. There are four types of casting operators: static_cast<>, dynamic_cast<>, const_cast<>, and reinterpret_cast<>.

Example:

Output:

The code shows how the static_cast<> operator converts a double into an int by truncating the decimal part of the value 3.14 and storing 3 in the intNum, and then the result is printed to the console.

Operator Precedence and Associativity in C++

1. Operator Precedence

The operator precedence checks the order in which operators are evaluated in an expression, and the operators with higher precedence are evaluated first.

2. Operator Associativity

When multiple operators of the same precedence appear in an expression, then the associativity defines the order of evaluation. The order of precedence can be:

• Left to Right (e.g., +, -, *, /)
• Right to Left (e.g., =, +=, -=, ?:)

Conclusion

Operators in C++ are important symbols that help developers to manipulate data, execute computations, and control the flow of the program. Also, these operators are classified into different types in C++ based on their operations. Operators also have precedence and associativity. So, understanding what operators are and how they work is very important to perform operations in C++ programming efficiently.

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