Thread: Learning C

I'm just starting out on C and am trying to write a simple calculator program. The code looks good to me, but it always spits out nonsense answers like 2.11992e-314. They may be mathematically correct, but I'm not sure why they are formatted this way.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>

int main () {
    float ValueOne = 0;
	float ValueTwo = 0;
	int defOp;
	float Addition = ValueOne + ValueTwo;
	float Subtraction = ValueOne - ValueTwo;
	float Multiplication = ValueOne * ValueTwo;
	float Division = ValueOne / ValueTwo;
	printf("Enter the first value");
	scanf("%f", &ValueOne);
	printf("Enter the second value");
	scanf("%f", &ValueTwo);
    printf("Enter the desired operation, 1 for Addition, 2 for Subtraction, 3 for Multiplication, 4 for Division");
    scanf("%d", &defOp);
	if(defOp = 1) {
		printf("%g", &Addition);
	} else if(defOp = 2) {
		printf("%f", &Subtraction);
	} else if (defOp = 3) {
		printf("%f", &Multiplication);
	} else if (defOp = 4) {
		printf("%f", &Division);
	} else {
		printf("Invalid input");
	}
	
	return 0;
}

Your printfs are wrong. You don't need the "&", and "%g" is incorrect.

Also, a word of warning, don't ever use "magic numbers." The numbers that you associate with the operations are random, and mean nothing to someone who reads your code. While it's preferable to enter one statement "2+2", you could also scan for the operator itself (+, -, ÷, *). But if you must use numbers, at least use #defines so it makes the code readable.

Originally Posted by stahta01

Code:

if(defOp = 1) {

"=" is assignment!
"==" is comparison(is equal).

C is not magic; the instructions are done in top to bottom order unless special instructions are use like loops or other order changing instructions.

Code:

a = 0;
b = 0;
answer = a + b; // set answer equal to 0 + 0
a = 1;
b = 2;
// answer is still 0 at this location

Tim S.

Thanks, you helped to better understand how C works. I was expecting it to behave more like java.

Also, a word of warning, don't ever use "magic numbers." The numbers that you associate with the operations are random, and mean nothing to someone who reads your code. While it's preferable to enter one statement "2+2", you could also scan for the operator itself (+, -, ÷, *). But if you must use numbers, at least use #defines so it makes the code readable.

I'll look into it. I don't totally understand #defines yet though.

Also, for anyone who would like to learn from my mistakes, this is the final code. It works correctly.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>//Written by TheNumber
int main () {
    float ValueOne;
	float ValueTwo;
	int defOp = 0;
	printf("Enter the first value\n");
	scanf("%f", &ValueOne);
	printf("Enter the second value\n");
	scanf("%f", &ValueTwo);
    printf("Enter the desired operation, 1 for Addition, 2 for Subtraction, 3 for Multiplication, 4 for Division\n");
    scanf("%d", &defOp);
	if(defOp == 1) {
		float Addition = ValueOne + ValueTwo;
		printf("%f", Addition);
	} else if(defOp == 2) {
		float Subtraction = ValueOne - ValueTwo;
		printf("%f", Subtraction);
	} else if (defOp == 3) {
		float Multiplication = ValueOne * ValueTwo;
		printf("%f", Multiplication);
	} else if (defOp == 4) {
		float Division = ValueOne / ValueTwo;
		printf("%f", Division);
	} else {
		printf("Invalid input");
	}
	return 0;
}

Just to make a note, there's nothing wrong with passing a double to %g in printf(), which of course means it's OK to pass a float to it. Whether one desires the output of %g over %f is another matter, but there's nothing inherently invalid about %g.