Question

What types of relationships between values can you test with relational operators?

Short answer

Answer: Relational operators are used to compare two values and determine their relationship in terms of equality or relative magnitude. They are crucial in decision-making processes, often utilized in if statements or while loops to establish whether a condition is true or false. The common relational operators include less than (<), less than or equal to (≤), greater than (>), greater than or equal to (≥), equal to (==), and not equal to (≠). We can use these operators to test relationships between values concerning equality, inequality, and relative magnitude.

Step-by-step solution

1. Introduction to relational operators

Relational operators are used to compare two values and determine their relationship in terms of equality or relative magnitude. They are often used in decision-making processes, such as in if statements or while loops, to determine whether a condition is true or false. The common relational operators are: less than (<), less than or equal to (≤), greater than (>), greater than or equal to (≥), equal to (==) and not equal to (≠).

2. Less than (

The less than operator (<) checks if the value on the left side is smaller than the value on the right side. If it is true, the result will be "true" or "1," and if it’s false, the result will be "false" or "0." For example: a < b is true if a is less than b.

3. Less than or equal to (≤)

The less than or equal to operator (≤) checks if the value on the left side is smaller than or equal to the value on the right side. If it is true, the result will be "true" or "1," and if it’s false, the result will be "false" or "0." For example: a ≤ b is true if a is less than or equal to b.

4. Greater than (>)

The greater than operator (>) checks if the value on the left side is larger than the value on the right side. If it is true, the result will be "true" or "1," and if it’s false, the result will be "false" or "0." For example: a > b is true if a is greater than b.

5. Greater than or equal to (≥)

The greater than or equal to operator (≥) checks if the value on the left side is larger than or equal to the value on the right side. If it is true, the result will be "true" or "1," and if it’s false, the result will be "false" or "0." For example: a ≥ b is true if a is greater than or equal to b.

6. Equal to (==)

The equal to operator (==) checks if the value on the left side is exactly equal to the value on the right side. If it is true, the result will be "true" or "1," and if it’s false, the result will be "false" or "0." For example: a == b is true if a is equal to b.

7. Not equal to (≠)

The not equal to operator (≠) checks if the value on the left side is not equal to the value on the right side. If it is true, the result will be "true" or "1," and if it’s false, the result will be "false" or "0." For example: a ≠ b is true if a is not equal to b. By using all these relational operators, we can test relationships between values in terms of equality, inequality, and the relative magnitude.