C Operators

What Are Operators?

In the expression 5 + 3, the plus sign is the operator and the numbers 5 and 3 are called operands. C runs the operator on the operands and gives you back a result, in this case 8.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  int sum = 5 + 3;
  printf("5 + 3 = %d\n", sum);
  return 0;
}

Groups of Operators

C divides operators into several groups depending on the job they do. In this topic we will focus on the four groups you will use the most as a beginner.

Comparison and logical operators produce a result that is either true or false. In C, false is represented by the number 0, and true is represented by 1.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
  int age = 20;
  int isAdult = age >= 18;  // comparison gives 1 (true)
  printf("Age: %d\n", age);
  printf("Is adult? %d\n", isAdult);
  return 0;
}

• Arithmetic operators work with numbers to give a numeric result.
• Assignment operators put a value into a variable.
• Comparison and logical operators give a result of 1 (true) or 0 (false).