While arithmetic expressions in C are generally straightforward to evaluate, there are some computational problems that can arise. Here are a few examples:
Integer division:
When dividing two integers, C uses integer division, which truncates the result to an integer value. For example, the expression 5 / 2 will
result in 2, not 2.5. To get a floating-point result, one or both operands must be cast to a float or double type.
Division by 0:
Dividing any number by zero is undefined in C and will result in a runtime error. Programmers should ensure that their code does not attempt
to divide by zero.
Overflow and Underflow:
When performing arithmetic with integers, the result must fit within the range of the data type being used. If the result is too large, it will
overflow the range and produce an incorrect result. If the result is too small, it will underflow and also produce an incorrect result.
Order of evaluation:
As mentioned earlier, the order of evaluation for arithmetic operators in C is determined by operator precedence and associativity. If programmers
do not understand these rules, they may write expressions that produce unexpected results.
Floating-point precision:
Due to the way that floating-point numbers are represented in memory, some arithmetic expressions may produce slightly different results than expected
due to rounding errors. Programmers should be aware of this issue and use appropriate rounding functions to ensure accurate results.
By understanding these common computational problems, programmers can write more robust and error-free arithmetic expressions in C. It's important to thoroughly test code
and handle potential edge cases to ensure that programs produce the expected results.