11.1 Programming Basics: Assignment of Values to Variables

This section explains how to assign values to variables using pseudo-code.

What is a Variable?

A variable is a named storage location in a computer's memory that holds a value. This value can change during the execution of a program.

Assignment Operator

The assignment operator is typically represented by the equals sign (=). It is used to assign a value to a variable.

Pseudo-code Statements for Assignment

Here are examples of pseudo-code statements demonstrating the assignment of values to variables:

• Simple Assignment:

        variable_name = value
      

  Example: age = 25 assigns the value 25 to the variable age.

• Assignment with Calculation:

        variable_name = expression
      

  Example: total_price = price_per_item * quantity assigns the result of the calculation to total_price.

• Assignment with User Input:

        variable_name = get_input("Prompt message")
      

  Example: username = get_input("Enter your name: ") assigns the user's input to the username variable.

• Re-assignment:

        variable_name = new_value
      

  Example: score = 0 followed by score = score + 10 re-assigns the score variable.

Example Table

Important Considerations

In many programming languages, the assignment operator (=) does not imply equality comparison. It simply assigns the value on the right-hand side to the variable on the left-hand side. Understanding this distinction is crucial for writing correct programs.