Java Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.
In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two
values:
int x = 100 + 50;
Although the + operator is often used to add together two values,
like in the example above, it can also be used to add together a
variable and a value, or a variable and another variable:
int sum1 = 100 + 50; // 150 (100 + 50)
int sum2 = sum1 + 250; // 400 (150 + 250)
int sum3 = sum2 + sum2; // 800 (400 + 400)
Java divides the operators into the following
groups:
Arithmetic operators
Assignment operators
Comparison operators
Logical operators
Bitwise operators
Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform
common mathematical operations.
Operator Name Description Example
+ Addition Adds together two values x+y
Subtracts one value from
- Subtraction another
x-y
* Multiplication Multiplies two values x*y
/ Division Divides one value by another x/y
Returns the division
% Modulus remainder
x%y
Increases the value of a
++ Increment variable by 1
++x
Decreases the value of a
-- Decrement variable by 1
--x
Java Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to
variables.
In the example below, we use the assignment
operator (=) to assign the value 10 to a variable
called x:
int x = 10;
The addition assignment operator (+=) adds a
value to a variable:
int x = 10;
x += 5;
Operator Example Same As
+= x=5 x=5
+= x += 3 x=x+3
-= x -= 3 x=x-3
*= x *= 3 x=x*3
/= x /= 3 x=x/3
%= x %= 3 x=x%3
&= x &= 3 x=x&3
|= x |= 3 x=x|3
^= x ^= 3 x=x^3
>>= x >>= 3 x = x >> 3
<<= x <<= 3 x = x << 3
Java Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare two
values (or variables). This is important in
programming, because it helps us to find answers
and make decisions.
The return value of a comparison is either true or
false. These values are known as Boolean values,
and you will learn more about them in the
Booleans and If..Else chapter.
In the following example, we use the greater than
operator (>) to find out if 5 is greater than 3:
int x = 5;
int y = 3;
[Link](x > y);
Operator Name Example
!= Equal to x == y
!= Not equal x != y
> Greater than x>y
< Less than x<y
>= Greater than or equal to x >= y
<= Less than or equal to x <= y
Java Logical Operators
You can also test for true or false values with
logical operators.
Logical operators are used to determine the logic
between variables or values:
Operator Name Description Example
Returns true if
&& Logical and both statements x < 5 && x < 10
are true
Returns true if one
|| Logical or of the statements x < 5 || x < 4
is true
Reverse the result,
! Logical not returns false if the !(x < 5 && x < 10)
result is true
Java Strings
Strings are used for storing text.
A String variable contains a collection of
characters surrounded by double quotes:
Create a variable of type String and assign it a
value:
String greeting = "Hello";
String Length
A String in Java is actually an object, which contain
methods that can perform certain operations on
strings. For example, the length of a string can be
found with the length() method:
String txt = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
[Link]("The length of the txt string is: " + [Link]());
More String Methods
There are many string methods available, for
example toUpperCase() and toLowerCase():
String txt = "Hello World";
[Link]([Link]());
[Link]([Link]());
Finding a Character in a String
The indexOf() method returns the index (the
position) of the first occurrence of a specified text
in a string (including whitespace):
String txt = "Please locate where 'locate' occurs!";
[Link]([Link]("locate"));
Java counts positions from zero.
0 is the first position in a string, 1 is the second, 2 is the third ...
Java String Concatenation
The + operator can be used between strings to
combine them. This is called concatenation:
String firstName = "John";
String lastName = "Doe";
[Link](firstName + " " + lastName);
You can also use the concat() method to
concatenate two strings:
String firstName = "John ";
String lastName = "Doe";
[Link]([Link](lastName));
Java Numbers and Strings
Adding Numbers and Strings
Java uses the + operator for both addition and
concatenation.
Numbers are added. Strings are concatenated.
If you add two numbers, the result will be a number:
int x = 10;
int y = 20;
int z = x + y; // z will be 30 (an integer/number)
If you add two strings, the result will be a string concatenation:
String x = "10";
String y = "20";
String z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a String)
If you add a number and a string, the result will be a string
concatenation:
String x = "10";
int y = 20;
String z = x + y; // z will be 1020 (a String)
Java Special Characters
Strings - Special Characters
Because strings must be written within quotes, Java will
misunderstand this string, and generate an error:
String txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from the north.";
The solution to avoid this problem, is to use the backslash escape
character.
The backslash (\) escape character turns special
characters into string characters:
Escape character Result Description
\' ' Single quote
\" " Double quote
\\ \ Backslash
The sequence \" inserts a double quote in a string:
String txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\" from the north.";
The sequence \' inserts a single quote in a string:
String txt = "It\'s alright.";
The sequence \\ inserts a single backslash in a
string:
String txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";
Other common escape sequences that are valid in Java are:
Code Result
\n New Line
\r Carriage Return
\t Tab
\b Backspace
\f Form Feed
Activity:
Write a program that does the following:
Type Casting
Widening Casting (automatic):
Declare an int variable with a value of 10.
Convert it to a double automatically.
Print both values.
Narrowing Casting (manual):
Declare a double variable with a value of 9.78.
Convert it to an int using explicit casting.
Print both values.
Operators
Declare two int variables: a = 15, b = 4.
Perform and print the results of:
Addition
Subtraction
Multiplication
Division
Modulus
Comparison: a > b, a == b
Logical operator: (a > 10 && b < 5)
Strings
Create a String variable for your first name and another for your
last name.
Concatenate them with a space in between.
Print:
"Full Name: <your full name>"
"Length of Full Name: <length>"
Numbers + Strings
Create an int age = 20.
Print "I am <age> years old" by concatenating the
number with a string.
Special Characters
Print the following sentence using escape
characters:
He said, "Java is fun!"
This is on a new line.
And this has a tab: End.
Widening Casting:
int: 10
double: 10.0
Narrowing Casting:
double: 9.78
int: 9
a + b = 19
a - b = 11
a * b = 60
a/b=3
a / (double)b = 3.75
a%b=3
a > b: true
a == b: false
(a > 10 && b < 5): true
Full Name: John Doe
Length of Full Name: 8
I am 20 years old
He said, "Java is fun!"
This is on a new line.
And this has a tab: End.
