Arizona State University (ASU) CSE100 Principles of Programming with C++ Midterm 1 Practice Exam

In C++, the operator `==` is used to compare two values for equality. When you use `==`, the expression evaluates to either true or false, depending on whether the values on either side are equal. For instance, if you have `if (a == b)`, the condition checks if the value of `a` is the same as the value of `b`, resulting in a boolean outcome.

On the other hand, the single equal sign `=` is the assignment operator. It is used to assign a value to a variable. For example, `a = 5` sets the value of `a` to 5. This operation does not compare values; instead, it takes the value on the right side and assigns it to the variable on the left side.

Understanding the distinction is crucial to avoiding common programming errors in C++. Misusing these operators can lead to logical bugs in your code; for example, using `=` in a condition instead of `==` would typically result in an assignment instead of a comparison, which would always evaluate to true in cases where the assigned value is non-zero. This distinction highlights the importance of correctly implementing conditional statements and assignments when programming in C++.