An expression is a combination of operators and operands.
Operand is a data item in which operation is performed.
An operator performs an operation on data
For example; z = 3+2*1
z = 5
Types of expressions
The different types of expressions that are evaluated in C language are as follows −
Primary expressions − The operand in this expression can be a name, a constant or any parenthesized expression. For example, c = a+ (5*b);
Postfix expressions − In a postfix expression, the operator will be after the operands. For example, ab+
Prefix expressions − In a prefix expression, the operator is before the operand. For example, +ab
Unary expression − It contains one operator and one operand. For example, a++, --b
Binary expression − It contains 2 operands and one operator. For example, a+b, c-d
Ternary expression − It contains 3 operands and one operator. For example; Exp1? Exp2: Exp3. If Exp1 is true, Exp2 is executed. Otherwise, Exp3 is executed.
Example
Following is the C program for the expressions which are evaluated in C language −
#include <stdio.h>
main(){
int a , b;
a = 10;
printf( "Value of b is %d\n", (a == 1) ? 100: 200 );//ternary expression
printf( "Value of b is %d\n", (a == 10) ? 10: 20 );//ternary expression
}Output
When the above program is executed, it produces the following result −
Value of b is 200 Value of b is 10