Logical, Arithmetic, Relational Operators and Operator Precedence

Java Operators
Operators are symbols that perform operations on variables and values. For example, + is an operator used
for addition, while * is also an operator used for multiplication. Operators in Java can be classified into 5
types:
1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Assignment Operators
3. Relational Operators
4. Logical Operators

1. Java Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators are used to perform arithmetic operations on variables and data. For example,

a + b;

Here, the + operator is used to add two variables a and b. Similarly, there are various other arithmetic
operators in Java.
Operator Operation

+ Addition

- Subtraction

* Multiplication

/ Division

% Modulo Operation (Remainder after division)

Example 1: Arithmetic Operators
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {

// declare variables
int a = 12, b = 5;

// addition operator
System.out.println("a + b = " + (a + b));

// subtraction operator
System.out.println("a - b = " + (a - b));

// multiplication operator
System.out.println("a * b = " + (a * b));

// division operator
System.out.println("a / b = " + (a / b));

// modulo operator

Logical, Arithmetic, Relational Operators and Operator Precedence Page 1 of 5

 System.out.println("a % b = " + (a % b));
}
}

Output

a + b = 17
a-b=7
a * b = 60
a/b=2
a%b=2

In the above example, we have used +, -, and * operators to compute addition, subtraction, and multiplication
operations.

/ Division Operator
Note the operation, a / b in our program. The / operator is the division operator.
If we use the division operator with two integers, then the resulting quotient will also be an integer. And, if
one of the operands is a floating-point number, we will get the result will also be in floating-point.

In Java,

(9 / 2) is 4
(9.0 / 2) is 4.5
(9 / 2.0) is 4.5
(9.0 / 2.0) is 4.5

% Modulo Operator
The modulo operator % computes the remainder. When a = 7 is divided by b = 4, the remainder is 3.

Note: The % operator is mainly used with integers.

2. Java Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used in Java to assign values to variables. For example,

int age;
age = 5;

Here, = is the assignment operator. It assigns the value on its right to the variable on its left. That is, 5 is
assigned to the variable age.
Let's see some more assignment operators available in Java.
Operator Example Equivalent to

= a = b; a = b;

+= a += b; a = a + b;

-= a -= b; a = a - b;

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 *= a *= b; a = a * b;

/= a /= b; a = a / b;

%= a %= b; a = a % b;
Example 2: Assignment Operators
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {

// create variables
int a = 4;
int var;

// assign value using =

var = a;
System.out.println("var using =: " + var);

// assign value using =+

var += a;
System.out.println("var using +=: " + var);

// assign value using =*

var *= a;
System.out.println("var using *=: " + var);
}
}

Output

var using =: 4
var using +=: 8
var using *=: 32

3. Java Relational Operators

Relational operators are used to check the relationship between two operands. For example,

// check if a is less than b

a < b;

Here, < operator is the relational operator. It checks if a is less than b or not. It returns either true or false.
Operator Description Example

== Is Equal To 3 = = 5 returns false

!= Not Equal To 3 != 5 returns true

> Greater Than 3 > 5 returns false

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 < Less Than 3 < 5 returns true

>= Greater Than or Equal To 3 >= 5 returns false

<= Less Than or Equal To 3 <= 5 returns true

Example 3: Relational Operators
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {

// create variables
int a = 7, b = 11;

// value of a and b
System.out.println("a is " + a + " and b is " + b);

// == operator
System.out.println(a == b); // false

// != operator
System.out.println(a != b); // true

// > operator
System.out.println(a > b); // false

// < operator
System.out.println(a < b); // true

// >= operator
System.out.println(a >= b); // false

// <= operator
System.out.println(a <= b); // true
}
}

Note: Relational operators are used in decision making and loops.

4. Java Logical Operators

Logical operators are used to check whether an expression is true or false. They are used in decision making.
Operator Example Meaning

&& (Logical expression1 && true only if both expression1 and expression2
AND) expression2 are true

|| (Logical OR) expression1 || expression2 true if either expression1 or expression2 is true

! (Logical NOT) !expression true if expression is false and vice versa

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 Example 4: Logical Operators
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {

// && operator
System.out.println((5 > 3) && (8 > 5)); // true
System.out.println((5 > 3) && (8 < 5)); // false

// || operator
System.out.println((5 < 3) || (8 > 5)); // true
System.out.println((5 > 3) || (8 < 5)); // true
System.out.println((5 < 3) || (8 < 5)); // false

// ! operator
System.out.println(!(5 == 3)); // true
System.out.println(!(5 > 3)); // false
}

Working of Program
 (5 > 3) && (8 > 5) returns true because both (5 > 3) and (8 > 5) are true.
 (5 > 3) && (8 < 5) returns false because the expression (8 < 5) is false.
 (5 < 3) || (8 > 5) returns true because the expression (8 > 5) is true.
 (5 > 3) || (8 < 5) returns true because the expression (5 > 3) is true.
 (5 < 3) || (8 < 5) returns false because both (5 < 3) and (8 < 5) are false.
 !(5 == 3) returns true because 5 == 3 is false.
 !(5 > 3) returns false because 5 > 3 is true.

Java Operator Precedence

Before you start reading this lesson, you should have a basic knowledge of Java Operators.

Now, take a look at the statement below:

int myInt = 12 - 4 * 2;

What will be the value of myInt? Will it be (12 - 4)*2, that is, 16? Or it will be 12 - (4 * 2), that is, 4?

When two operators share a common operand, 4 in this case, the operator with the highest precedence is
operated first. In Java, the precedence of * is higher than that of -. Hence, the multiplication is performed
before subtraction, and the value of myInt will be 4.

References:
https://www.programiz.com/java-programming/operators

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