BITS Pilani

K K Birla Goa Campus

CSF111
Computer Programming

Basics: Types, Variables, Expressions, Statements

Data Types

A name given to a set of values and

operations that can be performed on those values

Expression Value Type More examples

12 + 4 16 int -13, 42, 100000, 0

1.2 * 0.4 0.48 double 0.1, -5.4, 3.2e7

‘a’ ‘a’ char ‘Z’, ‘?’, ‘0’

“BITS” “BITS” Character “Hakuna Matata”,

string* “Z”, “What?”

These are the only types we care about for now

Memory Model 1

● What happens when an expression, e.g., 12 + 4, is

processed?

● Short answer:

○ The operator + is applied to its operands 12 and 4

○ The resulting value is held somewhere

● Where is somewhere?
A peek into the memory

● Memory –human or computer– has two basic functions: Store and Retrieve

Names, faces, events, Groups of bits

Poems, anecdotes, … with varying sizes

Store and retrieve? Store and retrieve?

Fairly complex Simple
Known to have triggers Via indexes that we can name
A peek into the memory

● What happens when an expression, e.g., 12 + 4, is

processed?

● Short answer:

○ The operator + is applied to its operands 12 and 4

○ The resulting value is held somewhere in a memory

location

○ That can be accessed via its address or name

 A peek into the memory

12 + 4 = 16
#include <stdio.h>
Address: 1004

int main() {
printf("%d", 12 + 4);

return 0;
If we knew this value is at
} address 1004, we could access
it later!
Variables and constants
 Accessing a memory location - give it a name!

We never used the 328

#include <stdio.h> actual address!

Address: 1004
Name: class_strength

int main() { I need a box big enough to put

int class_strength; an int in it and I want to call
it class_strength
class_strength = 328;
printf("%d", class_strength); And I want to put the value
328 in it
return 0;
} Assignment operator (=)
I want to print the integer in
Evaluates the expression on the
the box named
right, and puts the result in the
class_strength
location named on the left
 Accessing a memory location - give it a name!

328

#include <stdio.h> Address: 1004

Name: class_strength

int main() {
int class_strength; Declaration
int class_strength = 328;
class_strength = 328;
printf("%d", class_strength);
Initialisation

return 0;
}

Best practices C LANGUAGE RULE

Combine declaration and A variable must be declared before
initialisation when possible it is used
 328
Here, class_strength is a
Variables variable of type int and has Address: 1004
the value 328 Name: class_strength

● A variable is the name of a location that stores a value of a particular

type
○ We might say the variable “has” that value
Naming
○ We might say the variable “has” convention:
that type orvariables aretype
“is of” that all
lowercase with underscores for word
boundaries

Type: int Type: double Type: char Type: char string

328 1.414 ‘y’ “CS F111”

Name: class_strength Name: sqroot Name: response Name: name

Program variable v. Math variable

● A mathematical variable stands for an arbitrary but fixed value

○ 3x + 7 = 10 → x has a fixed value which you find by solving the
equation.
● A program variable has a particular value at any one time during
program execution, and that value (generally) may change at other
times
○ Usually by using an assignment operator
○ x = 3; → overwrites x’s old value with 3
 Naming convention: constants are all
Constants uppercase with underscores for word
boundaries

● A variable whose value is initialised and never changes

const int LUCKY_NUMBER = 72;

72

LUCKY_NUMBER

The keyword constBest

makes
practices
it a
Must be initialised
constant
Use constants when possible

Trying to assign it another

LUCKY_NUMBER = 31; value later causes an error
Operators, Expressions, and
Statements
Operators

● An operator is a symbol (or combination of symbols) that is used with

variables and values to simplify how you write certain program
expressions
○ Usually, operators are designed to mimic mathematical notation
—but do not be fooled into confusing programming and
mathematics!
Some common operators

Be careful with equality checks

int double on doubles
char

+, -, /, * +, -, /, *
Remainder operator doesn’t
% make sense on doubles

++, -- ++, --

<, <= <

< All of these
>, >= > work on char too,
> but ==,
don’t use
==, != != them unless
there’s no better way to
achieve what you want to do
Expressions It has a value of some type

● An expression is a “syntactically well-formed and meaningful

fragment” (roughly analogous to a word in natural language)

class_strength * num_sections
area < 100

circumference / PI ‘a’
2 + 3

class_strength
Statements

● A statement is a “smallest complete unit of execution” (roughly

analogous to a sentence in natural language)
● A simple statement is terminated with a semicolon ‘;'

class_strength = 262;
printf(“BITS”);

diameter = circumference / PI;

return 0;
 This ‘=’ is an assignment
This ‘=’ is a math equality,
operator
Program Linein C, LHS must State
switching LHS and RHS is fine
always be a variable*

int width;

width = __

width = 10;
width = __

int height = 12;

width = __
height = __

int area_rect = width * height;

width = __
height = __
area_rect = __
Program Line State

const double PI = 3.14;

PI = __

double radius = 7.5;

PI = __
radius = __

double area_circle
= PI * radius * radius;
PI = __
radius = __
area_circle = __
Errors - three types

Syntax errors Runtime errors Logical errors

Violation of language No grammar rules are

grammar rules. broken, but things that Program compiles and
go wrong at the time of runs without crashing.
Caught by the compiler. execution But, does not work as
Never goes to expected.
execution. E.g., division by zero →
undefined, so program E.g., subtract instead of
E.g., Missing semicolon, crashes (some add.
Misspelled words, etc. languages).

Caught early Harder to fix

Input Output
 Type Placeholder

Format specifiers int %d

double %lf

char %c

int main() {
double radius = 5.2;
const double PI = 3.14159;
double area = PI * radius * radius;
printf("Area of a circle with radius %lf cm is %lf sq-cm”,
radius, area);
return 0;
} What do you do about trailing
zeros? (HW)

Area of a circle with radius 5.200000 cm is 84.948594 sq-cm.

 User input: using scanf

Prompt: not needed but

int main() {
double radius = 5.2;
const double PI = 3.14159;
printf("Enter radius: ");
scanf("%lf", &radius);
recommended
I want to take a real number
from the user and put it in a
box named radius

double area = PI * radius * radius;

printf("Area of a circle with radius %lf cm is %lf sq-cm.",
radius, area);

return 0;
}