Java Operators

Operators facilitate the execution of operations on variables and values.

In the following example, we apply the + operator to sum two values:

Example

int a = 111 + 77;

Though the + operator is primarily used to sum two values, as shown above, it can also combine a variable and a value, or two variables:

Example

int total1 = 100 + 50;      // 150 (100 + 50)
int total2 = total1 + 250;  // 400 (150 + 250)
int total3 = total2 + total2; // 800 (400 + 400)

Java classifies operators into these categories:

• Arithmetic operators
• Assignment operators
• Comparison operators
• Logical operators
• Bitwise operators

Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators handle basic mathematical operations.

Java Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are utilized to allocate values to variables.

In the subsequent example, we employ the assignment operator (=) to assign the value 10 to a variable named b:

Example

int b = 10;

The addition assignment operator (+=) adds a specified value to a variable:

Example

int b = 10;
b += 5;

Here is a comprehensive list of assignment operators:

Java Comparison Operators

Comparison operators are used to evaluate two values or variables. This is crucial in programming as it helps in determining outcomes and making decisions.

The result of a comparison is a Boolean value, which is either true or false. These concepts will be elaborated in the Booleans and If..Else chapters.

In the following example, we use the greater than (>) operator to ascertain if 5 exceeds 3:

Example

int a = 5;
int b = 3;
System.out.println(a > b); // returns true, because 5 is greater than 3

Java Logical Operators

Logical operators are employed to test for true or false values.

These operators define the logic between variables or values: