Java Operators

 

Java Operators – A Complete Guide

Operators in Java are special symbols that perform operations on variables and values. They help in performing arithmetic, logical, bitwise, and other computations in Java programs. In this post, we will explore different types of operators with examples.

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1. Types of Java Operators

Java operators can be categorized into the following types:

1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Relational (Comparison) Operators
3. Logical Operators
4. Bitwise Operators
5. Assignment Operators
6. Unary Operators
7. Ternary Operator
8. Instanceof Operator

Let’s dive into each type with examples.

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2. Arithmetic Operators

Used for mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.

Operator	Description	Example (a = 10, b = 5)	Result
+	Addition	a + b	15
-	Subtraction	a - b	5
*	Multiplication	a * b	50
/	Division	a / b	2
%	Modulus (Remainder)	a % b	0

Example:

public class ArithmeticExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10, b = 5;
        System.out.println("Addition: " + (a + b));
        System.out.println("Subtraction: " + (a - b));
        System.out.println("Multiplication: " + (a * b));
        System.out.println("Division: " + (a / b));
        System.out.println("Modulus: " + (a % b));
    }
}

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3. Relational (Comparison) Operators

Used to compare values and return a boolean result (true or false).

Operator	Description	Example (a = 10, b = 5)	Result
==	Equal to	a == b	false
!=	Not equal to	a != b	true
>	Greater than	a > b	true
<	Less than	a < b	false
>=	Greater than or equal to	a >= b	true
<=	Less than or equal to	a <= b	false

Example:

public class RelationalExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10, b = 5;
        System.out.println(a > b);  // true
        System.out.println(a < b);  // false
        System.out.println(a == b); // false
        System.out.println(a != b); // true
    }
}

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4. Logical Operators

Used to combine multiple conditions and return a boolean result.

Operator	Description	Example (x = true, y = false)	Result
&&	AND	x && y	false
`		`	OR
!	NOT	!x	false

Example:

public class LogicalExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        boolean x = true, y = false;
        System.out.println(x && y); // false
        System.out.println(x || y); // true
        System.out.println(!x);     // false
    }
}

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5. Bitwise Operators

Operate at the bit level to perform binary calculations.

Operator	Description	Example (a = 5, b = 3)	Result
&	AND	a & b	1
`	`	OR	`a
^	XOR	a ^ b	6
~	Complement	~a	-6
<<	Left shift	a << 1	10
>>	Right shift	a >> 1	2

Example:

public class BitwiseExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 5, b = 3;
        System.out.println(a & b);  // 1
        System.out.println(a | b);  // 7
        System.out.println(a ^ b);  // 6
        System.out.println(~a);     // -6
        System.out.println(a << 1); // 10
        System.out.println(a >> 1); // 2
    }
}

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6. Assignment Operators

Used to assign values to variables.

Operator	Description	Example (a = 10)	Equivalent To
=	Assign	a = 10	—
+=	Add and assign	a += 5	a = a + 5
-=	Subtract and assign	a -= 5	a = a - 5
*=	Multiply and assign	a *= 5	a = a * 5
/=	Divide and assign	a /= 5	a = a / 5
%=	Modulus and assign	a %= 5	a = a % 5

Example:

public class AssignmentExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10;
        a += 5;  // a = a + 5
        System.out.println(a);  // 15
    }
}

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7. Unary Operators

Used with a single operand.

Operator	Description	Example (a = 10)	Result
+	Unary plus	+a	10
-	Unary minus	-a	-10
++	Increment	++a	11
--	Decrement	--a	9

Example:

public class UnaryExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10;
        System.out.println(++a); // 11
        System.out.println(--a); // 10
    }
}

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8. Ternary Operator (? :)

A shorthand for if-else.

Syntax:

variable = (condition) ? value_if_true : value_if_false;

Example:

public class TernaryExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10, b = 20;
        int min = (a < b) ? a : b;
        System.out.println("Minimum: " + min);
    }
}

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9. instanceof Operator

Used to check whether an object belongs to a specific class.

Example:

public class InstanceofExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String str = "Hello";
        System.out.println(str instanceof String); // true
    }
}

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Conclusion

Operators are essential for performing computations in Java. Mastering them will help you write efficient and concise code. In the next post, we’ll explore Control Flow Statements in Java, including loops and conditional statements.