With respect to C programming, four statements are given below. Identify the FALSE statement.

Explanation:

Analysis of Correct Option:

The correct answer is Option 2: "All operators in C have associativity from right to left."

This statement is FALSE because not all operators in C have associativity from right to left. While some operators, such as assignment operators and unary operators, do have right-to-left associativity, the majority of operators in C, including arithmetic, logical, and relational operators, have left-to-right associativity. Associativity determines the order in which operators of the same precedence are evaluated in an expression. The precedence and associativity of operators in C are critical for writing correct and predictable code, as they influence how expressions are parsed and executed.

Understanding Operator Associativity:

In C programming, operator associativity defines the direction in which operators with the same precedence are evaluated. The two types of associativity are:

• Left-to-Right Associativity: Operators with left-to-right associativity are evaluated from left to right. This is the default associativity for most operators, such as arithmetic (+, -, *, /, %), comparison (==, !=, <, >, <=, >=), and logical operators (&&, ||).
• Right-to-Left Associativity: Operators with right-to-left associativity are evaluated from right to left. Examples include unary operators (++ and -- when used as prefixes), the assignment operator (=), and the conditional operator (?:).

Examples:

Consider the following examples to illustrate operator associativity:

1. Left-to-Right Associativity:

        int a = 5, b = 10, c = 15;
        int result = a + b * c;
        / Operator precedence: '*' has higher precedence than '+'
        / Evaluation: b * c (evaluated first) → 10 * 15 = 150
        / Then: a + 150 → 5 + 150 = 155
        / Associativity does not affect this case as operators have different precedence.
    

2. Right-to-Left Associativity:

        int x = 5;
        int y = 10;
        int z = 15;
        x = y = z;
        / Assignment operator '=' has right-to-left associativity.
        / Evaluation: z → y = 15 → x = 15
    

Why Option 2 is FALSE:

The statement "All operators in C have associativity from right to left" is incorrect because only a subset of operators, such as assignment operators and unary operators (prefix), follow right-to-left associativity. Most operators, including arithmetic, comparison, and logical operators, follow left-to-right associativity. The distinction between precedence and associativity is essential for understanding how expressions are evaluated in C.

Additional Information

Analysis of Other Options:

Option 1: "The statement y = x + *p; sets y to the value of x added with the value pointed to by p."

This statement is TRUE. In the expression y = x + *p;, the value pointed to by p (using the dereference operator *) is added to the value of x, and the result is assigned to y. This operation correctly demonstrates the use of the dereference operator (*) to access the value stored at the memory location pointed to by the pointer p.

Option 3: "Assignment has lower precedence than comparison operator."

This statement is TRUE. In C, comparison operators (e.g., ==, !=, <, >) have higher precedence than the assignment operator (=). This means that in an expression containing both comparison and assignment operators, the comparison operators are evaluated first. For example:

    int a = 5;
    int b = 10;
    int result = a == b; / Comparison operator (==) is evaluated first.

Option 4: "int calender [31] [12] means that calender is an array of 31 arrays of 12 int elements each."

This statement is TRUE. The declaration int calender[31][12] defines a two-dimensional array in C, where calender consists of 31 arrays, each containing 12 integer elements. This type of array is commonly used to represent tabular data, such as a calendar where rows represent days and columns represent months.

Conclusion:

The FALSE statement is Option 2, as not all operators in C have associativity from right to left. Understanding operator precedence and associativity is essential for writing correct and efficient programs in C. Other options accurately describe valid concepts and operations in C programming.