In C programming, arithmetic expressions are evaluated using the standard rules of mathematics. When an expression is evaluated, each operator is applied to its operands in a specific order, as determined by the operator precedence
and associativity.
C follows the standard operator precedence, which defines the order in which operators are evaluated. For example, multiplication and division have a higher precedence than addition and subtraction. If an expression contains multiple
operators of the same precedence, the order of evaluation is determined by the associativity of the operators.
During evaluation, integer arithmetic is performed for integer operands, and floating-point arithmetic is performed for floating-point operands. If an expression contains mixed types, C will promote the operands to a common type before
evaluation. The promotion rules ensure that the operands are of the same type and that precision is not lost during evaluation.
One important thing to keep in mind is that integer division truncates any decimal places, so 7 / 2 evaluates to 3, not 3.5. However, if at least one operand is a floating-point value, the result will be a floating-point value.
If an expression contains parentheses, the expressions within the parentheses are evaluated first. This allows you to control the order of evaluation and ensure that the expressions are evaluated in the correct order.
The result of an arithmetic expression is a single value that can be stored in a variable or used as part of a larger expression. By understanding the rules of evaluation and operator precedence, you can create powerful and flexible arithmetic expressions in your C programs.