Operators in Java

Operators in Java are symbols that perform specific operations on one, two, or three operands (variables, values, or expressions) and return a result. Java provides a rich set of operators that can be categorized into several types based on their functionality. Below is a detailed explanation of the different types of operators in Java.

---

Types of Operators in Java

1. Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators are used to perform basic mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Operator	Description	Example
+	Addition	int sum = a + b;
-	Subtraction	int diff = a - b;
*	Multiplication	int prod = a * b;
/	Division	int quot = a / b;
%	Modulus (Remainder)	int rem = a % b;

---

2. Unary Operators

Unary operators operate on a single operand.

Operator	Description	Example
+	Positive (unary plus)	int x = +5;
-	Negative (unary minus)	int y = -5;
++	Increment (pre/post)	x++; or ++x;
--	Decrement (pre/post)	y--; or --y;
!	Logical NOT (boolean negation)	boolean flag = !true;

---

3. Relational Operators

Relational operators are used to compare two values and return a boolean result (true or false).

Operator	Description	Example
==	Equal to	if (a == b)
!=	Not equal to	if (a != b)
>	Greater than	if (a > b)
<	Less than	if (a < b)
>=	Greater than or equal to	if (a >= b)
<=	Less than or equal to	if (a <= b)

---

4. Logical Operators

Logical operators are used to combine multiple boolean expressions.

Operator	Description	Example
&&	Logical AND	if (a > 0 && b > 0)
||	Logical OR	if (a > 0 || b > 0)
!	Logical NOT	if (!(a > 0))

---

5. Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators perform operations on individual bits of integer types (byte, short, int, long).

Operator	Description	Example
&	Bitwise AND	int result = a & b;
|	Bitwise OR	int result = a | b;
^	Bitwise XOR	int result = a ^ b;
~	Bitwise NOT (complement)	int result = ~a;
<<	Left shift	int result = a << 1;
>>	Right shift (signed)	int result = a >> 1;
>>>	Right shift (unsigned)	int result = a >>> 1;

---

6. Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.

Operator	Description	Example
=	Simple assignment	int x = 5;
+=	Add and assign	x += 5; (x = x + 5)
-=	Subtract and assign	x -= 5; (x = x – 5)
*=	Multiply and assign	x *= 5; (x = x * 5)
/=	Divide and assign	x /= 5; (x = x / 5)
%=	Modulus and assign	x %= 5; (x = x % 5)
&=	Bitwise AND and assign	x &= 5; (x = x & 5)
|=	Bitwise OR and assign	x |= 5; (x = x
^=	Bitwise XOR and assign	x ^= 5; (x = x ^ 5)
<<=	Left shift and assign	x <<= 1; (x = x << 1)
>>=	Right shift (signed) and assign	x >>= 1; (x = x >> 1)
>>>=	Right shift (unsigned) and assign	x >>>= 1; (x = x >>> 1)

---

7. Ternary Operator (Conditional Operator)

The ternary operator is a shorthand for an if-else statement.

Operator	Description	Example
? :	Ternary operator	int max = (a > b) ? a : b;

---

8. instanceof Operator

The instanceof operator is used to check whether an object is an instance of a specific class or interface.

Operator	Description	Example
instanceof	Checks object type	if (obj instanceof MyClass)

---

Operator Precedence and Associativity

Operator precedence determines the order in which operators are evaluated in an expression. Associativity determines the order in which operators of the same precedence are evaluated.

Operator Precedence Table (Highest to Lowest)

Precedence	Operator Type	Operators
1	Postfix	expr++, expr--
2	Unary	++expr, --expr, +expr, -expr, !, ~
3	Multiplicative	*, /, %
4	Additive	+, -
5	Shift	<<, >>, >>>
6	Relational	<, >, <=, >=, instanceof
7	Equality	==, !=
8	Bitwise AND	&
9	Bitwise XOR	^
10	Bitwise OR	|
11	Logical AND	&&
12	Logical OR	||
13	Ternary	? :
14	Assignment	=, +=, -=, *=, /=, etc.

---

Example Program

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 10, b = 5;

        // Arithmetic Operators
        System.out.println("Sum: " + (a + b));
        System.out.println("Difference: " + (a - b));
        System.out.println("Product: " + (a * b));
        System.out.println("Quotient: " + (a / b));
        System.out.println("Remainder: " + (a % b));

        // Unary Operators
        System.out.println("Increment: " + (++a));
        System.out.println("Decrement: " + (--b));

        // Relational Operators
        System.out.println("a > b: " + (a > b));

        // Logical Operators
        System.out.println("a > 0 && b > 0: " + (a > 0 && b > 0));

        // Bitwise Operators
        System.out.println("a & b: " + (a & b));

        // Ternary Operator
        int max = (a > b) ? a : b;
        System.out.println("Max: " + max);
    }
}

---

Summary

Operator Type	Key Operators	Use Case
Arithmetic	+, -, *, /, %	Basic mathematical operations
Unary	+, -, ++, --, !	Operations on a single operand
Relational	==, !=, >, <, >=, <=	Comparing values
Logical	&&, ||, !	Combining boolean expressions
Bitwise	&, |, ^, ~, <<, >>, >>>	Operations on bits
Assignment	=, +=, -=, *=, /=	Assigning values to variables
Ternary	? :	Shorthand for if-else
instanceof	instanceof	Checking object type

Understanding and using operators effectively is essential for writing efficient and concise Java programs.