Chapter 13 Computer

Decision Structures Class 10

INTRODUCTION
 The programs follow the sequential structure of execution.
 The instructions are executed one by one in sequentially in the order in which they
appear in a program.
 C language provides facilities through special kind of statements that can change the
flow of sequence of instructions in the program are called decision structure statements.
 Decision Structure statements help us to jump from one part of the program to another
part of program based on result of some conditions.
 Sometimes decision structure statements are also known as selective structure
statements, branching statements or decision making statements.
 Statements which are controlling the flow of execution, they are also known as control
statements.
 C language provides two basic types of decision structure statements.
o If statement
o Switch statement

If Statement (if statement is the type of decision structure)

 The if statement is one of the powerful decision making statement which can be used to
transfer control of instruction execution.
 If statement can be used in four different ways:
o Simple if statement
o if...else statement
o nested if statement
o else-if ladder statement

Simple if statement
 The simplest way of decision structure is the if statement.
 If statement is used in the program for decision making and to change the flow of
program execution.
Syntax:
if(test expression)
{
Statement-block;
}
Some next instruction of the program;
 The logical operators are used in test expression.
 Note: test expression should not end with a semi-color (;)
 If the test expression is true then executes the statement-block and if the test expression
is false then computers skips the statement-block and executes the next instruction of
the program.
 C programming language assumes any non-zero and non-null values as true and if it
either zero or null then it is assumed as false value.
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if….else statement
 In simple if statement there is only one statement block, which gets executed only when
the test expression is true.
 Simple if statement takes no action in case when the test expression is false.
 Many times, there is a need to takes an action when the test expression is true as well as
when it is false, then in such cases, the if…else structure is useful.
 if..else is a two way statement:
o If the condition is true in if ... else statement if part is executed.
o If the condition is false in if...else statement else part is executed

Syntax:
if(test expression)
{
true Statement-block;
}
else
{
false Statement-block;
}

 If test expression is evaluated to true, then flow of control is transferred to true-

statement-block .
 In case when the test expression is evaluated to false, then flow of control is transferred
to the next statement in a sequence of the program.

Nested if….else statement

 The nested if statement is used to execute series of decisions in our C program.
 Nested if statement can be used to find out the largest of given three values.
Syntax:
CASE 1: CASE 2:
if(test expression-1) if(test expression-1)
{ {
if(test expression-2) Statement-block-1;
{ }
Statement-block-1; else
} {
else if(test expression-2)
{ {
Statement-block-2; Statement-block-2;
} }
} else
else {
{ Statement-block-3;
Statement-block-3; }
} }

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IN CASE1:
 If test expression-1 is true, then test expression-2 is checked.
 When this test expression-2 is also true, then only statement-block-1 will be executed
otherwise statement-block-2 will be executed.
 If test expression-1 is false then directly else block is going to execute and statement-
block-2 will be executed.
IN CASE2:
 A user may change this structure as per his/her needs. Nested if… else stament can be
else block even.

else... if ladder statement

 else-if ladder statement is used when many if statements together to evaluate multiple
decisions.
 When chain of if statements are used in else(false) block of nested if statements, then it
becomes else-if ladder statement
 else if ladder structure is available to evaluate more than one condition.
Syntax

if(test expression-1)
{
statement-block-1;
}
else if(test expression-2)
{
statement-block-2;
}
………………..
………………..
else if(test expression n){
statement-block-n;
}
else
{
default-statement-block;
}
program-statement-x;

 In else-if ladder the test-expression is evaluate from top to bottom

 if test_expression is true in else-if ladder,then the associated statement block is executed.
 If test expression is false in else-if ladder then control is taken to default-statement-block
of final/last else statement.

The Switch statement

 C language provides the built-in facility of multiway (multilayer) decision statement
called switch.
 When an action is to be taken based on given multiple choices, switch statement is very
useful.
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 Syntax
switch(expression){
case value1:
statement block1;
break;
case value2:
statement block2;
break;
……
……
case valuen:
statement block n;
break;
default:
default statement block;
break;
}
statement-x;

 If one option is to be selected from multiple choices switch statement is useful.

 Switch statement uses one argument (expression or variable value of type integer or
character).
 Each constant or constant expression in case option of switch statement is known as case
label.
 Each case label ends with colon (:)
 All case labels must be unique in switch statement.
 There is no need to use braces around the statement blocks (statement block1,
statement block2 and so on).
 When switch statement is executed, it first evaluated the value of expression and then
compares it with case constants from top to bottom.
 When a case found whose value is matching with the value of expression, then the
corresponding statement block of that case is executed.
 After each statement-block in switch, break statement signals the end of case causing
the exit from switch statement.
 The default is an optional case.
 If the given value does not match with any expression in switch, default is executed.
 In switch statement, the default statement can be used only once.
 Default statement can be placed anywhere inside switch but usually we place it at last
inside the switch.

Compound Relational Test

 Compound relational test means multiple test expression.
 The compound relational test is simple one or more relational test joined together by
either the logical AND or logical OR operators.
 logical AND operator is written as &&.
 logical OR operator is written as ||.
 Use of compound relational test will help us to reduce number of if…else statements in
our program.
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