Selection Statements

CSE 4373: Computer Programming and Applications

Ajwad Abrar
Junior Lecturer, CSE
A scenario
● You want to attend a concert

● Only those with tickets can enter

If you have a ticket, you can enter.

This is a condition

You either have a ticket or you don’t.

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Conditions
● Verbally, we denote the outcome of conditions as:

True False

Yes No

On Off

1 0

We must test if a condition is true or not and based on that we have to take
branching decisions

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Branching decisions

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How do we translate this into
programming?

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Basic thermostat
● It has to keep the temperature fixed in a
certain range
● Assume that the range is between 20
degrees celsius and 25 degrees celsius
If temperature > 25 → Decrease temperature
If temperature < 20 → Increase temperature
Else → Do nothing

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Relational operators

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Relational operators
Compares between two operands
● < less than 10 < 13

● > greater than

● <= less than or equal 1.3 >= 12

● >= greater than or equal

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Logical data in C
Does not have a dedicated boolean datatype

1 True

0 False

Others True

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Relational operators
● Produces 0 (False) or 1 (True) when used in an
expression
● Can compare variables
● Precedence lower than arithmetic operators
i + j < k - 1 → (i + j) < (k - 1)
● Left associative
i < j < k → (i < j) < k
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Pop Quiz

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Relational operators
● 3 * 5 > 16
● 25 / 5 * 4 >= 10 + 20 - 5 * 2
● 7 % 2 > 12 <= 14
● (1 >= 1.5) * (15 + 3.12)

int i = 35;
float j = 21.3f;
i + j >= i - j;
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Relational operators
● 3 * 5 > 16 0 (False)
● 25 / 5 * 4 >= 10 + 20 - 5 * 2 1 (True)
● 7 % 2 > 12 <= 14 1 (True)
● (1 >= 1.5) * (15 + 3.12) 0

int i = 35;
float j = 21.3f;
i + j >= i - j; 1 (True)
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Equality operators

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Equality operators
Used to check whether two operands are equal or not
● == Equal to
● != Not equal
Produces either 0 (false) or 1 (true) as their result
● Lower precedence than the relational operators
i < j == j < k → (i < j) == (j < k)
● Left associative
10 != 12.5 == 12 → (10 != 12.5) == 12
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Equality operators
It is very common to mix up equality operator (==) with assignment
operator (=) due to habit with mathematics
They can make the program produce unexpected outcome without
throwing errors
int i = 5;
i == 6; // Will give us 0 (False)
i = 6; // Will store 6 in variable

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Pop Quiz

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Equality operators
What is the output of the
expression:
(i >= j) + (i == j)
If,
i = 5, j = 8
CSE
i = 8, j = 5 4373

i = j = 5
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Equality operators
What is the output of the
expression:
(i >= j) + (i == j)
If,
i = 5, j = 8 → 0
CSE
i = 8, j = 5 → 1 4373

i = j = 5 → 2
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Logical operators

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Logical operators
Logical operators are used to produce complicated logical
expressions by connecting simpler ones
● ! Logical negation
● && Logical and
● || Logical or

Logical operators produce 1 (true) or 0 (false) as results. Any

non-zero operand is 1 (true) and only zero is 0 (false)

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Logical negation
● Is denoted by !
● !(10 > 20) → 1 (True)
● Has the same precedence as unary +/-
● Right associative
!!(a == b) → !(!(a == b))
Simply flips between 1 or 0
!!10 → 1 (True)

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Logical and

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Logical or

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Logical and / or
● Evaluate from left to right

(i >= 0) || (j != 13)

● If left operand is sufficient to determine the evaluation, right

operand is skipped

(i != 0) && (i > 0)

i > 0 is only evaluated if i is not 0

● && and || has lower precedence than relational and equality

operators
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if statement

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if statement
Choose between alternatives by testing a condition
if(expression) {statement}
If the expression gives Non-zero values, only then the statement will be executed

int number = -12;

if(number < 0)
{
printf(“The number is negative.”);
}

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if statement
if(10 < 20) if(20 < 10)
{ {
printf(“10 is lower\n”); printf(“20 is lower\n”);
} }
printf(“We are done”); printf(“We are done”);

Condition is True Condition is False

● The expressions inside the curly braces ({}) consist a code block
● The if statement selectively executes certain code blocks based on some
conditions
● The norm is to indent (4 spaces/ 1 tab) the expressions inside a code block
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if statement
int age;
printf(“Enter your age: ”);
scanf(“%d”, &age);
if((age > 18) && (age < 85))
{
printf(“You can run for president.”);
}
Join simpler conditions together using && and create complex conditions

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else clause

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else clause
The if statement may have an else clause, which
provides an alternative when the condition fails
if(expression) {statement}
else {statement}
The else clause does not have a condition. It will only
execute the expressions if the condition after the if
statement is false (0)

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else clause
if(10 < 20) if(20 < 10)
{ {
printf(“10 is lower\n”); printf(“20 is lower\n”);
} }
else else
{ {
printf(“10 is higher\n”); printf(“20 is higher\n”);
} }
printf(“We are done”); printf(“We are done”);

Condition is True Condition is False

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else clause
int number = 10; Number
if(number < 0)
{
printf(“The number is negative”);
Positive Negative
}
else
{
printf(“The number is positive”);
}
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Cascaded if statement
Number

Positive Zero Negative

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Cascaded if statement
if(expression) ● Best way to test a series of
{statement} conditions
● Another if statement will be
else if(expression)
nested inside first if
{statement} statement’s else clause
...
else if(expression)
If-Ception
{statement}
else
{statement}
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Pop Quiz

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Cascaded if statement
if (y != 0)

if (x != 0)
if else if

result = x / y;

else

printf("Error: y is 0\n");
else

To which if statement does the else clause belong to?

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Dangling else problem
if (y != 0)

if (x != 0)
if else if

result = x / y;

else

printf("Error: y is 0\n");
else

else belongs to the nearest if that has not been paired with an else .

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Basic thermostat

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Basic thermostat
● Range is between 20 degrees celsius and 25 degrees celsius
int temp;

scanf(“%d”, &temp);

if(temp < 20) {//Increase temperature}

else if(temp > 25) {//Decrease temperature}

else {//Do nothing}

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switch statement

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switch statement
Replaces cascading if statements

Consider the following scenario:

id = 1 → VIP
id = 2 → Premium
id = 3 → Regular
id = 4 → Economy
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switch statement
int id; ● Tedious for
scanf(“%d”, &id); humans to write
if(id == 1) {printf(“VIP\n”);} ● Difficult to
else if(id == 2) {printf(“Premium\n”);} follow
else if(id == 3) {printf(“Regular\n”);} ● Slow to execute
else if(id == 4) {printf(“Economy\n”);} ● Difficult to find
else {printf(“Invalid ID”);} problems

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switch statement
● Use switch case instead of chaining if statements
● Easier to read
● Faster execution

switch(controlling-expression)
{
case constant-expression : statements
…
case constant-expression : statements
default : statements
}
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switch statement
int id;
scanf(“%d”, &id);
switch(id)
{
case 1: printf(“VIP\n”);
break;
…
case 4: printf(“Economy\n”);
break;
default: printf(“Invalid ID\n”);
break;
} 45
Why use break
● Causes program to “break”
out of the switch
statement
● switch is basically
controlled jump to a
certain label
● Anything after that label
gets executed if there’s no
break
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Reading Tasks
● C Programming - A Modern Approach | Chapter 5

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Thank You

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