ProgIntro

Repetitive statements and execution flow for repetitive statements

Explanation of the topic below was generated using openai in response to the question: how to explain the need of repetitive statements in programming language to a beginner

Imagine you have a task that you need to repeat over and over again, like counting from 1 to 10. In programming, repetitive statements, often called loops, help us automate such tasks. Instead of writing the same code multiple times, we can use loops to execute a set of instructions repeatedly without having to duplicate the code.

Loops allow us to save time and effort by letting the computer do the repetitive work for us. They are like a super helpful assistant that follows our instructions and performs the same action multiple times.

For example, let’s say you want to print the numbers from 1 to 10. Instead of writing ten separate print statements, you can use a loop to achieve the same result with just a few lines of code. The loop will iterate over a range of numbers, and each time it goes through the loop, it will execute the same set of instructions.

By using loops, we can also process large amounts of data more efficiently. For instance, if we have a list of 100 names and we want to perform an action on each name, we can use a loop to iterate through the list and execute the action for each item.

Loops come in different forms, but they all serve the purpose of repeating code. The two most common types of loops are the ‘for’ loop and the ‘while’ loop. The ‘for’ loop is typically used when we know the number of iterations in advance, while the ‘while’ loop is useful when we want to repeat a block of code until a certain condition is met.

So, in summary, repetitive statements or loops in programming are essential because they allow us to automate tasks, save time, and process large amounts of data efficiently. They enable us to avoid writing duplicate code and make our programs more concise and powerful.”

Sample programs using for, while, and do while loops:

• for loop
• while loop
• do while loop

break and continue statements

Note: following explanation is generated by ChatGPT In C, the continue and break statements are control flow statements used within loops to alter the flow of execution. Here’s a breakdown of their applications:

1. continue statement:
   • The continue statement is used to skip the rest of the current iteration of a loop and proceed to the next iteration.
   • When encountered inside a loop (such as for, while, or do-while), the continue statement causes the program to immediately jump to the loop’s next iteration.
   • It is particularly useful when you want to skip certain iterations of a loop based on certain conditions, without executing the remaining code in the loop for that iteration.
   • Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
        if (i == 2) {
            // Skip iteration when i is 2
            continue;
        }
        printf("%d ", i);
    }
    return 0;
}

Output:

0 1 3 4

1. break statement:
   • The break statement is used to terminate the execution of a loop prematurely.
   • When encountered inside a loop, the break statement causes the program to exit the loop immediately, regardless of the loop’s condition.
   • It is commonly used when a certain condition is met and you want to exit the loop without completing all iterations.
   • Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int target = 5;
    int sum = 0;
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
        sum += i;
        if (sum >= target) {
            // Exit loop when sum becomes greater than or equal to target
            break;
        }
    }
    printf("Sum is: %d\n", sum);
    return 0;
}

Output:

Sum is: 15

In summary, continue is used to skip the current iteration of a loop, while break is used to exit the loop prematurely. Both statements provide ways to control the flow of execution within loops and are essential for writing efficient and concise code.