In this blog, we will see the definition of unary operators in C++, types of unary, and a detailed explanation of each; if you haven’t checked the previous blog on operators, check now and add some precious knowledge to the library of your smart brain. Let’s go.

What is a Unary operator?

Unary operators are those operators who act upon a single operand to produce a new value.

Types of Unary operator

There are divided into five different types

1. Unary minus(-)
2. Increment(++)
3. Decrement(- -)
4. Logical NOT(!)
5. Addressof(&)
6. Sizeof()

Let’s understand each for better clarification.

1. Unary minus(-)

A unary minus operator is denoted by the symbol “-” and this operator makes changes to the operand value, and as a result, it makes the given value negative. Convert a positive value to a negative value and a negative value to a positive value.

syntax

keyword_name variable_name = -value;

example

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
 
int main()
{
    int positive = 100;
    int negative = -positive;
 
    cout << "Positive : " << positive << endl;
    cout << "Negative : " << negative << endl;
 
    return 0;
}

output

Positive : 100
Negative : -100

2. Increment

The symbol “++” denotes the increment operator. Increment operators always increase the value by 1. 

Increment operators are sub-divided into two types 

1. Pre Increment operator – In the pre-increment operator, the value of the operand will be changed before it is used.

int a= 100;
int b= ++a; // Hence the value of b= 101

2. Post Increment operator – In the Post-increment operator, the value of the operand will be changed after it is used.

int a = 1;
int b = a++; // Hence the value of b = 1
int c = a; // Hence the value of c = 2

 

3. Decrement

The symbol “–” denotes the decrement operator. Decrement operators always decrease the value by 1. 

Decrement operators are sub-divided into two types 

1. Pre-decrement or Prefix decrement
2. Post-decrement or Postfix decrement

1. Pre-decrement – In the pre-decrement operator, the value of the operand will be changed before it is used.

int a= 100;
int b= --a;  // Hence the value of b= 99

2. Post-decrement – In the Post-decrement operator, the value of the operand will be changed after it is used.

 int a = 1;
 int b = a--;   // Hence the value of b = 1
 int c = a;     // Hence the value of c = 0

4. Logical NOT

The symbol denotes the logical NOT operator “!”. This operator reverses the meaning of its operand as in if a condition is true, then the Logical NOT operator will make it false. This operator is also known as a Logical Negation Operator.

syntax

!value

Example

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
    int x = 0;
    if (!x)
        cout << "x is not zero" << endl;
    else
        cout << "x is zero " << endl;

    return 0;
}

output

x is not zero

5. AddressOF 

The addressof the operator is denoted by the symbol “&” This operator returns the addressof any variable. These addresses returned by the address-of-operator are known as pointers because they “point” to the variable in memory.

syntax

pointer = &variable;

example

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    int Geek;
    int *ptr;  	  //creating pointer
    ptr = &Geek; //address of Geek variable is stored in ptr pointer

    cout << ptr << endl;

    return 0;
}

output

0x61fe14

6. Sizeof 

The size of the operator is denoted by the symbol “sizeof()”. The size of the operator acts like a function. This operator always returns the variable/object occupied size.

syntax

sizeof() // parameter in brackets

example

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
    int a = 20;

    cout << "The size of a : " << sizeof(a) << endl;
    cout << "The size of 10 : " << sizeof(10) << endl;
    cout << "The size of int : " << sizeof(int) << endl;
    cout << "The size of char : " << sizeof(char) << endl;
    cout << "The size of float : " << sizeof(float) << endl;
    return 0;
}

output

The size of a : 4
The size of 10 : 4
The size of int : 4
The size of char : 1
The size of float : 4

Pheww, so that was all about the unary operators. If you find any difficulty understanding this, you can leave a comment below, and don’t forget to subscribe to us for more❣️.

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