Operators in C++

Operators are symbols in programming that allow us to do math or make decisions. They're like the tools we use to add numbers, compare values, or perform other tasks in code. In C++, there are special built-in symbols we use for different operations, making it easier to write programs.

Classification of Operators in C++

Operators in C++ are categorized into six main types, each serving specific purposes:

1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Relational Operators
3. Logical Operators
4. Bitwise Operators
5. Assignment Operators
6. Ternary or Conditional Operators

Arithmetic Operators in C++

Arithmetic operators, as implied by their name, are employed for executing fundamental mathematical operations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, among others. They are fundamental tools in C++ for performing numerical computations and manipulating numerical data.

Arithmetic operators in C++ are divided into two types: Unary and Binary, each fulfilling distinct roles in mathematical calculations.

Unary Operator

Unary arithmetic operator in C++ is used only with one operand to perform the arithmetic operations.

The increment operators are used to increment the value of a variable by 1, and decrement operators are used to decrement the value of a variable by 1.

Pre-increment or pre-decrement operators first manipulate the value and then get assigned to the variables, whereas post-increment or post-decrement operators first get assigned to the variable, and then the value gets manipulated.
The unary arithmetic operators are shown in the following table.

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Binary Operator

The binary arithmetic operators are the ones that are used with 2 operands to perform the arithmetic operations.

Examples of binary arithmetic operators are shown in the following table.

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Relational Operators in C++

Relational operators are mainly used to check for specific conditions. These are always binary operators because 2 operands are needed to evaluate the condition. If the condition is true, it will return 1, else if the condition is false, it will return 0.

The examples of different relational operators are given in the following table.

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Logical Operators in C++

Logical operators are used to check logical conditions. They return the 1 when the result is true and 0 when the result is false.
There are three logical operators in c++:

1. And operator in c++
2. Or operator in c++
3. Not operator in c++

These are as shown in the following table.

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Bitwise Operators in C++

Bitwise operators are tools for manipulating individual bits in binary data, allowing for efficient low-level operations such as setting, clearing, and checking specific bits. They're crucial for tasks requiring precise control over binary representations of data and are commonly used in systems programming and optimization.

There are so many different bitwise operators which are used to work with bits. The list of bitwise operators is shown in the following table.

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Assignment Operators in C++

This operator in C++ is used to assign the value to the variable. These are always binary operators. For example: num = 6 will assign the value 6 to the variable num.

There are different versions of these assignment operators to combine with the arithmetic operations.

The list of commonly used assignment operators with their equivalent expressions is shown in the following table.

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Ternary/Conditional Operators in C++

The ternary operator in c++, often denoted as "? :", is a concise way to express conditional logic in many programming languages. It takes three operands:

Here's how it works:

• The condition (Expression1) is evaluated first.
• If the condition is true, the value of Expression2 is returned.
• If the condition is false, the value of Expression3 is returned.

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Other Common Operators in C++

Apart from the c++ operators who are listed above in this article, there are some other operators as well which are frequently used in C++. These operators are also important, and you will often see them in programs.

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C++ Operators Precedence Chart

There are so many operators in C++, and when they are used in the same expression, there is an order of precedence by which the operations get performed.

For eg., the * operator has the highest precedence than the + operator, so in the expression 8 * 2 + 3, the * operator gets first preference, and then +, so the answer comes as 19.

Associativity for operators in C++ is the direction from which the expression gets evaluated.

For eg. a = 5; Here 5 gets assigned in variable a, so the expression gets evaluated from right to left, so it is the associativity of the = operator.

The precedence order and the associativity of C++ operators are given in the following table. The operators are from top to bottom as per their precedence.