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Conditional operator vs if-else; digit sum

Short answer

The conditional operator (?:) is an expression that returns a value, compact for simple choices and usable inside larger expressions. The if-else statement is not an expression, cannot be embedded in expressions, and is better for blocks with multiple statements.

Differentiate between conditional operator and if-else statement.

Conditional operator (?:)if-else statement
An operator that forms an expression and returns a valueA statement; does not return a value
Syntax: x = (cond) ? a : b;Syntax: if (cond) ... else ...
Compact, for simple choicesBetter for long or multiple statements in a branch
Can be used inside another expressionCannot be used inside an expression
Both branches must be expressionsBranches may contain any statements, loops, declarations
Hard to read when nestedEasy to read even when nested
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
    int a = 8, b = 3, big, big2;
    big = (a > b) ? a : b;       /* conditional operator */
    if (a > b)                   /* if-else */
        big2 = a;
    else
        big2 = b;
    printf("%d %d\n", big, big2);
    return 0;
}

Output:

8 8

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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