What is the Ternary Operator and How Does it Work?

Operator Usage:

The question mark "?" and colon ":" operators within parentheses, known as the ternary conditional operator, serve a specific purpose in programming.

Ternary Operator Mechanics:

The ternary operator provides a concise way to perform conditional execution. Its syntax is as follows:

boolean_statement ? true_result : false_result

If the boolean statement evaluates to true, the true_result is returned. Conversely, if the statement is false, the false_result is returned.

Analogy to 'if-else' Statements:

The ternary operator is often compared to 'if-else' statements due to its similarity in functionality. However, the ternary operator is a more compact and efficient alternative for simple conditional expressions.

Example:

Consider the following Java code:

int row = 10;
int column;
while (row >= 1) {
    column = 1;
    while (column <= 10) {
        System.out.print(row % 2 == 1 ? "<" : ">"); // Ternary operator usage
        ++column;
    }
    --row;
    System.out.println();
}

In this example, the ternary operator is used within the print statement to determine whether to print "<" or ">". If the value of row is odd (i.e., row % 2 == 1), the operator returns "<". Otherwise, it returns ">".

Standard Term and References:

The standard term for the ternary conditional operator is "ternary operator". Further information on its use and applications can be found in most programming language documentation and text books.

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