Technical Foundations of Computer Science III

System Programming (C)

Seyyed Kamran Hosseini Lecture 3
Introduction to C
Herat University
Variables

• Variable definition
 int integer1; /* first number to be input by user */
 int integer2; /* second number to be input by user */
 int sum; /* variable in which sum will be stored */
• The names integer1, integer2 and sum are the names of
variables. A variable is a location in memory where a
value can be stored for use by a program.
• These definitions specify that the variables integer1,
integer2 and sum are of type int, which means that these
variables will hold integer values, i.e., whole numbers
such as 7, –11, 0, 31914 and the like.
Continue...

• All variables must be defined with a name and a data

type immediately after the left brace that begins the body
of main before they can be used in a program.
• The preceding definitions could have been combined into
a single definition statement as follows:
 int integer1, integer2, sum;
• but that would have made it difficult to describe the
variables in corresponding comments
Identifiers

• A variable name in C is any valid identifier.

• An identifier is a series of characters consisting of
letters, digits and underscores (_) that does not begin
with a digit.
• C is case sensitive—uppercase and lowercase letters are
different in C, so apple and Apple are different
identifiers.
Some Tips

• Common Programming Error

 Using a capital letter where a lowercase letter should be
used (for example, typing Main instead of main).
• Error-Prevention Tip
 Avoid starting identifiers with the underscore character
(_) to prevent conflicts with compiler- generated
identifiers and standard library identifiers.
• Good Programming Practice
 Choosing meaningful variable names helps make a
program self-documenting, i.e., fewer comments are
needed.
Syntax Error

• A syntax error is caused when the compiler cannot

recognize a statement.
• The compiler normally issues an error message to help
you locate and fix the incorrect statement.
• Syntax errors are violations of the language.
• Syntax errors are also called compile errors, or
compile-time errors.
• For example:
 Placing variable definitions among executable
statements causes syntax errors.
Assignment Statement
• The assignment statement
 sum = integer1 + integer2; /* assign total to sum */
calculates the sum of variables integer1 and integer2 and
assigns the result to variable sum using the assignment
operator =.
• The statement is read as, “sum gets the value of integer1
+ integer2.” Most calculations are performed in
assignments.
• The = operator and the + operator are called binary
operators because each has two operands.
• The + operator’s two operands are integer1 and integer2.
• The = operator’s two operands are sum and the value of
the expression integer1 + integer2.
Memory Concepts
• Variable names such as integer1, integer2 and sum
actually correspond to locations in the computer’s
memory.
• Every variable has a name, a type and a value.
• In the addition program, when the statement
 scanf( "%d", &integer1 ); /* read an integer */
is executed, the value typed by the user is placed into a
memory location to which the name integer1 has been
assigned.
• Suppose the user enters the number 45 as the value for
integer1. The computer will place 45 into location
integer1
Continue...

• Whenever a value is placed in a memory location, the

value replaces the previous value in that location; thus,
placing a new value into a memory location is said to be
destructive.
• when the statement
 scanf( "%d", &integer2 ); /* read an integer */
• executes, suppose the user enters the value 72. This
value is placed into location integer2, and memory
appears.
• These locations are not necessarily adjacent in memory.
Continue...
• Once the program has obtained values for integer1 and
integer2, it adds these values and places the sum into
variable sum.
 sum = integer1 + integer2; /* assign total to sum */
that performs the addition also replaces whatever value
was stored in sum.
• This occurs when the calculated sum of integer1 and
integer2 is placed into location sum (destroying the value
already in sum).
• After sum is calculated, memory appears.
Continue...

• They were used, but not destroyed, as the computer

performed the calculation.
• Thus, when a value is read from a memory location, the
process is said to be nondestructive.
Arithmetic in C

• Most C programs perform arithmetic calculations.

• The arithmetic operators are all binary operators.
Division & Remainder on Integers
• Integer division yields an integer result. For example, the
expression 7 / 4 evaluates to 1 and the expression 17 / 5 evaluates
to 3.
• C provides the remainder operator, %, which yields the
remainder after integer division.
• The remainder operator is an integer operator that can be used
only with integer operands. The expression x % y yields the
remainder after x is divided by y. Thus, 7 % 4 yields 3 and 17 % 5
yields 2.
• Common Programming Error
 An attempt to divide by zero is normally undefined on computer systems and
generally results in a fatal error, i.e., an error that causes the program to
terminate immediately without having successfully performed its job.
Nonfatal errors allow programs to run to completion, often producing
incorrect results.
Parentheses

• Parentheses are used in C expressions in the same

manner as in algebraic expressions.
• For example, to multiply a times the quantity b + c we
write a * ( b + c ).
Rules of Operator Precedence
• C applies rules of operator precedence, which are generally
the same as those in algebra:
1. Operators in expressions contained within pairs of parentheses
are evaluated first. Thus, parentheses may be used to force the
order of evaluation to occur in any sequence you desire.
Parentheses are said to be at the “highest level of precedence.”
In cases of nested, or embedded, parentheses, such as
((a+b)+c)
the operators in the innermost pair of parentheses are applied
first.
2. Multiplication, division and remainder operations are applied
next.
3. Evaluation proceeds from left to right.
4. Addition and subtraction operations are evaluated next.
5. The assignment operator (=) is evaluated last.
Precedence of arithmetic operators
Note
• For more understading, Please read the book from page
29 to 38.