The "Assignment Statement"

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Assigns a value to a variable to be stored in memory, for use later in a program

To use an assignment statement in a program to store some value :

1. write the variable you want,

2. type the “equal” sign (“=”)

3. then type value or expression you want to save
i.e: y = 5 + 2

The program will evaluate the expression on the right side of the equal sign (“=”)

and store that value into the variable on the left side of the equal sign.

Assignment statements like “x = 12" and "y = 7"
store values into the computer's memory

so that the program can use them later.

Below is an example showing both of the statements being executed

and evaluating the expression in a PRINT statement :

‘ Program to add 2 values stored in variables :

x = 6 + 6 ' x is the variable you want to have the value 12 (the program adds 6 + 6 and stores the result)

y = 5 + 2 ' y is the variable you want to have the value 7 (the program adds 5 + 2 and stores the result)

PRINT x + y ' Look up what’s stored in x (12) and what’s stored in y (7), add them together to display the answer (19)

After assigning values to x and y, the program can PRINT the sum of the values that are stored there.

Since x has the value 12 (6 + 6) and y has the value 7 (5 + 2),

the PRINT statement displays the answer : 19 on the display screen.

Example :

The statement “Total = UnitPrice * Quantity” may look like
an algebraic “statement of equality,”

but is actually an “assignment statement.”

These are not the same thing.

NOTE:

In C and C++, the assignment uses a single “=” (x = 5) to set x equal to some value.
and the “comparison” (“if equal equals y”) uses “==” :

// if x is equal to 5, then do something:
If (x == 5) {do something};

NOTES:

Programming : Assignment Statement

In programming languages, the statement “X = 5” is an instruction :
This looks up the value on the right side of the equal sign (5)
and then assigns (stores) it into the variable on the left side of the equal sign.

5 = X is NOT a valid assignment statement
(variable must be on left side)

Algebraic : Statement of Equality

The “equal sign” means that the values on

both sides of the equal sign are equal to each other.

X = Y is the same as Y = X

5 = X is a VALID assignment statement
(variables or numbers can be on either side)

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