Lesson plan
Operator (computer programming)
In computer programming, an operator is a programming language construct that provides functionality that may not be possible to define as a user-defined function (e.g. sizeof in C) or has syntax different from that of a function (e.g. infix addition as in a+b ). Like other programming language concepts, operator has a generally accepted, although debatable, meaning among practitioners. Some operators are represented with symbols characters typically not allowed for a function identifier to allow for presentation that is more familiar looking than typical function syntax. For example, a function that tests for greater-than could be named gt , but many languages provide an infix symbolic operator so that code looks more familiar. For example, this: if gt(x, y) then return Can be: if x > y then return Some languages allow a language-defined operator to be overridden with user-defined behavior and some allow for user-defined operator symbols. Operators may also differ semantically from functions. For example, short-circuit Boolean operations evaluate later arguments only if earlier ones are not false.
Article summary
In computer programming, an operator is a programming language construct that provides functionality that may not be possible to define as a user-defined function (e.g. sizeof in C) or has syntax different from that of a function (e.g. infix addition as in a+b ). Like other programming language concepts, operator has a generally accepted, although debatable, meaning among practitioners. Some operators are represented with symbols characters typically not allowed for a function identifier to allow for presentation that is more familiar looking than typical function syntax. For example, a function that tests for greater-than could be named gt , but many languages provide an infix symbolic operator so that code looks more familiar. For example, this: if gt(x, y) then return Can be: if x > y then return Some languages allow a language-defined operator to be overridden with user-defined behavior and some allow for user-defined operator symbols. Operators may also differ semantically from functions. For example, short-circuit Boolean operations evaluate later arguments only if earlier ones are not false.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.