C++ And Or Statement

4 min read Jul 05, 2024

C++ and/or Statements

In C++, the and and or logical operators are used to combine multiple conditions in conditional statements. They allow you to evaluate the truthiness of multiple expressions and execute code based on the resulting truth value.

The "and" Operator (`&&`)

The and operator (represented by &&) returns true only if both of its operands are true. If either operand is false, the entire expression evaluates to false.

Example:

#include 

int main() {
  int age = 25;
  int height = 180;

  if (age >= 18 && height > 170) {
    std::cout << "You are eligible to join the army." << std::endl;
  } else {
    std::cout << "You are not eligible to join the army." << std::endl;
  }

  return 0;
}

In this example, the if statement checks if both conditions are true:

age >= 18 is true, as the age is 25.
height > 170 is also true.

Since both conditions are true, the entire && expression evaluates to true, and the message "You are eligible to join the army" is printed.

The "or" Operator (`||`)

The or operator (represented by ||) returns true if at least one of its operands is true. It only evaluates to false if both operands are false.

Example:

#include 

int main() {
  int score = 70;

  if (score >= 90 || score >= 80) {
    std::cout << "You got a good grade!" << std::endl;
  } else {
    std::cout << "You need to study harder." << std::endl;
  }

  return 0;
}

In this example, the if statement checks if at least one of the conditions is true:

score >= 90 is false, as the score is 70.
score >= 80 is true.

Since one of the conditions is true, the entire || expression evaluates to true, and the message "You got a good grade!" is printed.

Short-Circuiting

Both && and || operators exhibit short-circuiting behavior. This means that the second operand is only evaluated if the first operand is insufficient to determine the result of the entire expression.

For &&: If the first operand is false, the second operand is not evaluated as the entire expression is already known to be false.
For ||: If the first operand is true, the second operand is not evaluated as the entire expression is already known to be true.

Short-circuiting can be useful for optimizing code execution, as it prevents unnecessary calculations.

Conclusion

Understanding the and (&&) and or (||) operators in C++ is crucial for writing efficient and readable conditional statements. These operators provide the ability to combine multiple logical conditions and execute code based on their combined truth value. Remember their behavior and short-circuiting properties for better control and performance in your programs.

C++ And Or Statement