Consider the following statements

int x = 10, y = 15;

x = ((x = y) ? (y + x) : (y - x));

What will be the value of x after executing these statements?

The correct answer is 30.

Key Points

• Let's break down the given code to understand how the value of x becomes 30.
• The initial values are:
  • int x = 10;
  • int y = 15;
• Next, we have the statement:

              x = ((x = y) ? (y + x) : (y - x));
              

• In the statement (x = y), x is assigned the value of y, so now x = 15.
• In the ternary conditional operator ((x = y) ? (y + x) : (y - x)), since x = y results in x being non-zero (true in a Boolean context), the condition is true.
• When the condition is true, the expression (y + x) is evaluated.
  • y is 15 and x is now 15, so y + x = 15 + 15 = 30.
• Therefore, x = 30 after the assignment.

Additional Information

• The ternary conditional operator is a shortcut for the if-else statement and is used to assign one of two values based on a condition.
• Syntax: condition ? value_if_true : value_if_false.
• It's important to understand the order of evaluation and assignment in expressions to correctly determine the resulting values of variables.
• In this example, the assignment (x = y) happens first, followed by the evaluation of the ternary condition and the resulting expression.