C Less-Than Operator (<)

C Less-Than Operator

In C, the Less-Than < operator is a comparison operator used to check whether the left operand is smaller than the right operand. If the left operand is smaller, the operator returns true (1); otherwise, it returns false (0).

The Less-Than < operator is commonly used in conditional statements and loop conditions.

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Syntax of the Less-Than Operator

The syntax to use the Less-Than operator is:

variable1 < variable2

Explanation:

1. variable1: The first operand to compare.
2. <: The less-than comparison operator.
3. variable2: The second operand to compare with the first operand.

The result of the comparison is 1 (true) if variable1 is smaller than variable2, otherwise 0 (false).

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Examples of the Less-Than Operator

1. Comparing Two Integer Values

In this example, we will compare two integer values using the Less-Than < operator and print the result.

main.c

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int a = 10, b = 20;

    if (a < b) {
        printf("%d is less than %d\n", a, b);
    } else {
        printf("%d is not less than %d\n", a, b);
    }

    return 0;
}

Explanation:

1. We declare two integer variables a and b, initialized to 10 and 20.
2. The if condition checks if a < b.
3. Since 10 < 20 is true, the message “10 is less than 20” is printed.

Output:

10 is less than 20

2. Using Less-Than Operator in a Loop

In this example, we will use the Less-Than < operator in a while loop condition to print numbers from 1 to 5.

main.c

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int i = 1;

    while (i < 6) {
        printf("%d ", i);
        i++;
    }

    return 0;
}

Explanation:

1. We initialize i to 1.
2. The while loop runs as long as i < 6.
3. Inside the loop, i is printed and incremented by 1.
4. The loop terminates when i reaches 6.

Output:

1 2 3 4 5

3. Using Less-Than Operator with Floating-Point Numbers

In this example, we will compare two floating-point numbers using the Less-Than < operator.

main.c

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float x = 5.5, y = 7.2;

    if (x < y) {
        printf("%.1f is less than %.1f\n", x, y);
    } else {
        printf("%.1f is not less than %.1f\n", x, y);
    }

    return 0;
}

Explanation:

1. We declare two floating-point variables x and y with values 5.5 and 7.2.
2. The if condition checks if x < y.
3. Since 5.5 < 7.2 is true, the message “5.5 is less than 7.2” is printed.

Output:

5.5 is less than 7.2

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Conclusion

In this tutorial, we covered the Less-Than < operator in C:

1. The Less-Than < operator is used to check if one value is smaller than another.
2. It returns 1 (true) if the first operand is smaller and 0 (false) otherwise.
3. It is commonly used in conditional statements and loops.