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C Arithmetic Operators Explained with Examples

Arithmetic Operators in C

Overview

Arithmetic operators include +, -, *, /, %, which performs all mathematical manipulations. These operators can operate on any built-in data type allowed in C.

Arithmetic Operators in C:

  • Addition (+): Adds two operands.
  • Subtraction (-): Subtracts second operand from the first.
  • Multiplication (*): Multiplies two operands.
  • Division (/): Divides first operand by the second (returns quotient).
  • Modulus (%): Returns the remainder of division of the first operand by the second.

Key Topics:

Addition (+) operator

The + operator adds two operands and returns the result.

When to use: When you need to calculate the sum of two numbers.

Why use: It is used to perform addition operations, such as calculating totals, sums in loops, or aggregating values.

Example:

int a = 5, b = 10;
int sum = a + b;  // sum = 15

Subtraction (-) Operator

The - operator subtracts the second operand from the first.

When to use: When you need to subtract one value from another, such as finding the difference between two values.

Why use: It is commonly used in situations like finding change in values, distances, or comparing values.

Example:

int x = 20, y = 7;
int difference = x - y;  // difference = 13

Multiplication (*) Operator

The * operator multiplies two operands and returns the result.

When to Use: When you need to compute the product of two numbers, such as scaling values or calculating area.

Why Use: It is essential for calculations like finding the product of values in a loop, computing areas or volumes, or working with scaling.

Example:

int p = 6, q = 7;
int product = p * q;  // product = 42

Division (/) Operator

The / operator divides the first operand by the second and returns the quotient.

When to Use: When you need to perform division, such as calculating averages, splitting values, or distributing quantities evenly.

Why Use: This operator is necessary for performing division in both integer and floating-point calculations.

Example:

int a = 15, b = 3;
int quotient = a / b;  // quotient = 5

Note: Be careful of dividing by zero, as it can cause runtime errors.

Modulus (%) Operator

The % operator returns the remainder of the division of the first operand by the second.

When to use: When we need to find the remainder after division, such as in even/odd checks, cycling through values, or managing periodic tasks.

Why use: It is useful for determining divisibility, constraining values within limits, and working with cyclic or periodic data.

Example:

int x = 17, y = 5;
int remainder = x % y;  // remainder = 2

Example: Addition and Subtraction

In this example, we define two variables a and b. We perform addition (+) to calculate the sum and subtraction (-) to calculate the difference. The results are printed using printf().

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    int a = 10, b = 5;    
    // Addition
    int sum = a + b;  // Adding a and b
    printf("Sum: %d\n", sum);  // Output: Sum: 15    
    // Subtraction
    int difference = a - b;  // Subtracting b from a
    printf("Difference: %d\n", difference);  // Output: Difference: 5    
    return 0;
}

Output:

Sum: 15
Difference: 5

Example 2: Multiplication and Division

Here, we demonstrate multiplication (*) and division (/). We define x and y and then calculate the product and quotient. The results are displayed using printf().

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    int x = 20, y = 4;    
    // Multiplication
    int product = x * y;  // Multiplying x and y
    printf("Product: %d\n", product);  // Output: Product: 80    
    // Division
    int quotient = x / y;  // Dividing x by y
    printf("Quotient: %d\n", quotient);  // Output: Quotient: 5    
    return 0;
}

Output:

Product: 80
Quotient: 5

Example 3: Modulus Operator

The modulus operator (%) calculates the remainder of the division of p by q. In this case, 17 % 3 results in a remainder of 2, which is printed.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    int p = 17, q = 3;
    
    // Modulus
    int remainder = p % q;  // Finding remainder when p is divided by q
    printf("Remainder: %d\n", remainder);  // Output: Remainder: 2    
    return 0;
}

Output:

Remainder: 2

Example 4: Mixed Arithmetic Operations

This example shows a combination of different arithmetic operations in one expression. C follows operator precedence (multiplication and division before addition and subtraction), so the expression is evaluated accordingly.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    int a = 8, b = 3, c = 2;
    
    // Mixed operations
    int result = a * b + c - a / b;  // Performing multiple arithmetic operations
    printf("Result: %d\n", result);  // Output: Result: 23
    
    return 0;
}

Output:

Result: 24

Example 5: Arithmetic with Floating-Point Numbers

In this example, we use floating-point numbers (float) for arithmetic operations. The results are printed with two decimal places using the format specifier %.2f.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    float x = 7.5, y = 2.5;
    
    // Performing arithmetic operations with floating-point numbers
    float sum = x + y;
    float product = x * y;
    
    printf("Sum: %.2f\n", sum);  // Output: Sum: 10.00
    printf("Product: %.2f\n", product);  // Output: Product: 18.75
    
    return 0;
}

Output:

Sum: 10.00
Product: 18.75


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