Chapter 2 - Elementary Programming

2.4 Identifiers
2.5 Variables
2.6 Assignment Statements and Assignment Expressions
2.3 Reading Input from the Console
2.7 Named Constants
 2.5 Variables
Declaration Statements
int x; // Declare x to be an integer variable
double radius; // Declare radius to be a double variable
char y; // Declare y to be a character variable

A variable is a container which holds the value while the Java program is executed.
It is like a box in the memory to store a value in it.
To declare (create) a variable, you will specify the type, leave at least one space, then
the name for the variable and end the line with a semicolon ( ; ). For example: int x;
the statement creates a variable named x that can hold an integer value.
double radius; creates a variable named radius that can hold a decimal value. So
Java uses the keyword int for integers, double for a floating point numbers, and char
for characters.
A variable cannot be used in a program unless it has been declared.
Now we haven’t initialized the variables. The declaration gives a name and a data
type for the variable. These containers are empty.

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 2.4 Identifiers

name score age answer

String name = "Hello"; double score = 12.7; int age = 51; boolean answer= true;

dataType identifier value

An identifier (name of variable or method or program) is a sequence (of any length) of
characters that can consist of letters, digits, underscores (_), and dollar signs ($).
An identifier must start with a letter, an underscore (_), or a dollar sign ($). It cannot start with a
digit.
An identifier cannot be a reserved word.
Use a meaningful name for the identifier (e.g. radius instead of r).
If the identifier is the name of a variable then use all small letters (e.g. radius instead of Radius).
Caution
int x = 12;
System.out.println("x");  prints the letter x
System.out.println(x); prints the value of the variable x (it prints 12)3
2.6 Assignment Statements and Assignment Expressions
Declaration Statements
int x; // Declare x to be an integer variable
double radius; // Declare radius to be a double variable
char y; // Declare y to be a character variable

Assignment Statements
x = 1; // Assign 1 to x
radius = 1.0; // Assign 1.0 to radius
y = 'A'; // Assign 'A' to y

Declaring and Assignment in One Step

Equivalent to
int x = 1;
int x;
char y = 'A'; x=1;
double radius = 1.0;
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 Assignment expression
int a, b;
int a, b; Is equivalent to
a b int a;
int b;

12
b
a = 12;
a
7
b = 7;
b
3
a = 3; 12
a 3+7=10

int c = a + b; c // a + b is called an assignment expression

Note: You can change the value of a variable (changed a from 12 to 3).
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 Concatenation operator (+)
int a, b;
Output on the Screen:
a = 3; The value of c is 10

b = 7;
b
int c = a + b;
System.out.println("The value of c is " + c );
//System.out.println("The value of c is " c); Syntax error

//System.out.println("The value of c is c"); logic error

Concatenation is the operation of joining together two strings, a

string and a value (of any type), or a string and a variable(of any
type). c
You can concatenate things using the concatenation operator (+) in
the system.out.print() statement.
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 2.3 Reading Input from the Console

 Example 1: Compute an area with radius 1

double radius = 1.0;
double area = radius * radius * 3.14159;
System.out.println("The area is " + area + ", radius "
+ radius);
Output on the Screen:
The area is 3.14159, radius 1.0

 Example 2: Compute an area with radius 10

double radius = 10.0;
double area = radius * radius * 3.14159;
System.out.println("The area is " + area + ", radius "
+ radius);
Output on the Screen:
The area is 314.159, radius 10.0

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 Trace a Program Execution
public class ComputeArea {
/** Main method */ memory
public static void main(String[] args) {
double radius; radius no value
double area; area no value
// Assign a radius
radius = 20;
allocate memory
// Compute area for area
area = radius * radius * 3.14159;

// Display results
System.out.println("The area for the circle of radius " +
radius + " is " + area);
}
}

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animation

Trace a Program Execution

public class ComputeArea { assign 20 to radius
/** Main method */
public static void main(String[] args) {
double radius; radius 20
double area;
area no value
// Assign a radius
radius = 20;

// Compute area
area = radius * radius * 3.14159;

// Display results
System.out.println("The area for the circle of radius " +
radius + " is " + area);
}
}

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animation

Trace a Program Execution

public class ComputeArea {
/** Main method */ memory
public static void main(String[] args) {
double radius; radius 20
double area;
area 1256.636
// Assign a radius
radius = 20;

// Compute area compute area and assign it

area = radius * radius * 3.14159; to variable area

// Display results
System.out.println("The area for the circle of radius " +
radius + " is " + area);
}
}

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animation

Trace a Program Execution

public class ComputeArea {
/** Main method */ memory
public static void main(String[] args) {
double radius; radius 20
double area;
area 1256.636
// Assign a radius
radius = 20;

// Compute area
area = radius * radius * 3.14159; print a message to the
console
// Display results
System.out.println("The area for the circle of radius " +
radius + " is " + area);
}
}

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Read an input value from the user using Scanner
public class ComputeArea {
public static void main(String[] args) {
double radius;
double area;
// Assign a radius
radius = ??????????;

// Compute area
area = radius * radius * 3.14159;

// Display results
System.out.println("The area for the circle of radius " + radius + " is " + area);
}
}

Output on the Screen:

Enter the value of radius: 2.0
The area is 6.28318 for radius 2.0

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Getting Input Using Scanner

Sample Run

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 2.7 Named Constants

final datatype CONSTANTNAME = VALUE;

final double PI = 3.14159;
final int SIZE = 3;

• The value of a variable may change during the execution of the

program, but a constant never changes.

• We use the keyword final before the declaration.

• By convention, constants are named in uppercase.

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animation

Trace a Program Execution

public class ComputeArea {
/** Main method */
public static void main(String[] args) {
double radius;
double area;
final double PI = 3.14159;
Replace
// Assign a radius area = radius * radius * 3.14159;
radius = 20;

// Compute area
area = radius * radius * PI;

// Display results
System.out.println("The area for the circle of radius " + radius + " is " + area);
}
}

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