Basic Operators in C++

C++ comes with several basic operators.¹ Below is a table briefly presenting them. The last few rows following an #include are operators (functions) that come from library. They only work if the library is included (e.g., #include <cmath>).

Operators fall into three categories: Unary operators are operators that take just one value as input. For example, the increment operator, ++, increments by 1, and takes just one value as input. Binary operators are operators that take exactly two values as inputs. For example, the division operator \ is a binary operator, since it takes two values. Ternary operators are operators that take exactly three values as inputs. In C++, the ternary operator ?: is an operator takes three expressions as inputs and outputs one expression. For example:

#include <iostream>
	using namespace std;

	int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
		int x = 1;
		int y = 2;
		int z = 3;
		int w;
		x == 1 ? w = y : w = z;
		cout << "w = " << w << endl;
	}

w = 2

The ternary operator x == 1 ? w = y : w = z; says, if x is equal to 1, then w = y. Otherwise, w = z. Since x == 1 is true, w = y. Thus, w = 2.