In this tutorial, we will learn about the many types of operators in C++. An operator in programming is a symbol that performs operations on a value or variable.

Operators are symbols that carry out operations on variables and values. For instance, the addition operator + is used for addition, while the subtraction operator – is used for subtraction.

Operators in C++ can be classified into 6 types:

1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Assignment Operators
3. Relational Operators
4. Logical Operators
5. Bitwise Operators
6. Other Operators

1. Arithmetic Operators

In C++ To conduct arithmetic operations on variables and data, arithmetic operators are employed. As an example,

The + operator is used to combine two variables, a and b. In C++, there are a variety of different arithmetic operators like:

Operator	Operation
+	Addition
–	Subtraction
*	Multiplication
/	Division
%	Modulo Operation (Remainder after division)

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int a, b;
    a = 7;
    b = 2;

    cout << "a + b = " << (a + b) << endl;
    cout << "a - b = " << (a - b) << endl;
    cout << "a * b = " << (a * b) << endl;
    cout << "a / b = " << (a / b) << endl;
    cout << "a % b = " << (a % b) << endl;

    return 0;
}

Output

a + b = 9
a – b = 5
a * b = 14
a / b = 3
a % b = 1

2. Assignment Operators

To assign values to variables in C++, assignment operators are employed. As an example,

: Assign 5 to an a

Here, we’ve given the variable and a value of 5.

Operator	Example	Equivalent to
=	a = b	a = b;
+=	a += b;	a = a + b;
-=	a -= b;	a = a – b;
*=	a *= b;	a = a * b;
/=	a /= b;	a = a / b;
%=	a %= b;	a = a % b;

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int a, b;
a = 2;
b = 7;

cout << "a = " << a << endl;
cout << "b = " << b << endl;
cout << "\nAfter a += b;" << endl;


a += b;  // a = a +b
cout << "a = " << a << endl;

return 0;
}

Output

a = 2
b = 7
After a += b;
a = 9

3. Relational Operators

To check the relationship between two operands, a relational operator is utilized. As an example,

a > b;

• Here, > is a relational operator that checks if an is greater than b. It determines whether an is greater than b.
• If the relationship is true, it returns 1, but if it is false, it returns 0.

Operator	Meaning	Example
==	Is Equal To	3 == 5gives us false
!=	Not Equal To	3 != 5 gives us true
>	Greater Than	3 > 5gives us false
<	Less Than	3 < 5 gives us true
>=	Greater Than or Equal To	3 >= 5 give us false
<=	Less Than or Equal To	3<= 5 gives us true

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int a, b;
    a = 3;
    b = 5;
    bool result;

    result = (a == b);   // false
    cout << "3 == 5 is " << result << endl;

    result = (a != b);  // true
    cout << "3 != 5 is " << result << endl;

    result = a > b;   // false
    cout << "3 > 5 is " << result << endl;

    result = a < b;   // true
    cout << "3 < 5 is " << result << endl;

    result = a >= b;  // false
    cout << "3 >= 5 is " << result << endl;

    result = a <= b;  // true
    cout << "3 <= 5 is " << result << endl;

    return 0;
}

Output

3 == 5 is 0
3 != 5 is 1
3 > 5 is 0
3 < 5 is 1 3 >= 5 is 0
3 <= 5 is 1

4. Logical Operators

To determine whether an expression is true or false, logical operators are utilized. If the expression is true, it will return 1, but if it is false, it will return 0.

Operator	Example	Meaning
&&	expression1 && expression2	Logical AND. Only true if all operands are true.
||	expression1 || expression2	Logical OR. If at least one of the operands is true, the result is true.
!	!expression	Logical NOT. If the operand is false, then true.

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    bool result;

    result = (3 != 5) && (3 < 5);     // true
    cout << "(3 != 5) && (3 < 5) is " << result << endl;

    result = (3 == 5) && (3 < 5);    // false
    cout << "(3 == 5) && (3 < 5) is " << result << endl;

    result = (3 == 5) && (3 > 5);    // false
    cout << "(3 == 5) && (3 > 5) is " << result << endl;

    result = (3 != 5) || (3 < 5);    // true
    cout << "(3 != 5) || (3 < 5) is " << result << endl;

    result = (3 != 5) || (3 > 5);    // true
    cout << "(3 != 5) || (3 > 5) is " << result << endl;

    result = (3 == 5) || (3 > 5);    // false
    cout << "(3 == 5) || (3 > 5) is " << result << endl;

    result = !(5 == 2);    // true
    cout << "!(5 == 2) is " << result << endl;

    result = !(5 == 5);    // false
    cout << "!(5 == 5) is " << result << endl;

    return 0;
}

Output

(3 != 5) && (3 < 5) is 1, (3 == 5) && (3 < 5) is 0, (3 == 5) && (3 > 5) is 0,
(3 != 5) || (3 < 5) is 1, (3 != 5) || (3 > 5) is 1,
(3 == 5) || (3 > 5) is 0,
!(5 == 2) is 1,
!(5 == 5) is 0

Explanation

• (3 != 5) && (3 < 5) evaluates to 1 because both operands (3 != 5) and (3 < 5) are 1 (true).
• (3 == 5) && (3 < 5) evaluates to 0 because the operand (3 == 5) is 0 (false)
• (3 == 5) && (3 > 5) evaluates to 0 because both operands (3 == 5) and (3 > 5) are 0 (false).
• (3 != 5) || (3 < 5) evaluates to 1 because both operands (3 != 5) and (3 < 5) are 1 (true).
• (3 != 5) || (3 > 5) evaluates to 1 because the operand (3 != 5) is 1 (true).
• (3 == 5) || (3 > 5) evaluates to 0 because both operands (3 == 5) and (3 > 5) are 0 (false).
• !(5 == 2) evaluates to 1 because the operand (5 == 2) is 0 (false).
• !(5 == 5) evaluates to 0 because the operand (5 == 5) is 1 (true).

5. Bitwise Operator

Bitwise operators are used in C++ to perform operations on single bits. They’re only compatible with char and int data types.

Operator	Description(Binary)
&	AND
|	OR
^	XOR
~	One’s Complement
<<	Shift Left
>>	Shift Right

6. Additional C++ Operators

The following is a list of some more common C++ operators. In coming tutorials, we’ll learn more about them.

Operator	Description	Example
sizeof	returns the size of data type	sizeof(int); // 4
?:	returns value based on the condition	string result = (5 > 0) ? “even” : “odd”; // “even”
&	represents the memory address of the operand	# // num address
.	accesses members of struct variables or class objects	s1.marks = 92;
->	used with pointers to access the class or struct variables	ptr->marks = 92;
<<	prints the output value	cout << 5;
>>	gets the input value	cin >> num;

Operators Precedence in C++

The order in which terms in an expression are grouped is determined by operator precedence. This has an impact on how an expression is judged. Certain operators take precedence over others; the multiplication operator, for example, takes precedence over the addition operator.

For example, x = 7 + 3 * 2; because operator * has higher precedence than +, x is allocated 13, not 20, and is multiplied by 3*2 before being added to 7.

The highest-priority operators appear at the top of the table, while the lowest-priority operators appear at the bottom. Higher precedence operators will be evaluated first within an expression.

Category	Operator	Associativity
Postfix	() [] -> . ++ – –	Left to right
Unary	+ – ! ~ ++ – – (type)* & sizeof	Right to left
Multiplicative	* / %	Left to right
Additive	+ –	Left to right
Shift	<< >>	Left to right
Relational	< <= > >=	Left to right
Equality	== !=	Left to right
Bitwise AND	&	Left to right
Bitwise XOR	^	Left to right
Bitwise OR	|	Left to right
Logical AND	&&	Left to right
Logical OR	||	Left to right
Conditional	?:	Right to left
Assignment	= += -= *= /= %=>>= <<= &= ^= |=	Right to left
Comma	,	Left to right

You may like:

Input and Output in C++ | C++ Programming

Data Types in C++