C Programming – Quick Notes for 1st Semester
Features of C Language
- General purpose, structured, mid-level language.
- Portable and efficient.
- Supports modular programming (functions).
- Rich library of operators and functions.
- Used for system programming and applications.
Structure of a C Program
A C program has:
1. Preprocessor directives (#include <stdio.h>).
2. main() function (starting point).
3. Variable declarations.
4. Statements and logic.
5. Return statement.
Example:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int a=5,b=10,sum;
sum=a+b;
printf("Sum=%d",sum);
return 0;
}
Compiler vs Interpreter
- Compiler: Translates entire program at once (C uses compiler).
- Interpreter: Executes line by line (Python uses interpreter).
Data Types in C
Basic: int, float, char, double
Derived: arrays, pointers, structures, functions
Void: no value
Example:
int age=20;
float marks=85.5;
char grade='A';
Operators in C
Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %
Relational: >, <, ==, !=
Logical: &&, ||, !
Assignment: =
Control Statements
- if, if-else, nested if
- switch-case
- break, continue, goto
Loops
- for loop
- while loop
- do-while loop
Arrays
Collection of same data type stored in contiguous memory.
Example: int marks[5]={90,80,70,85,95};
Strings
Character array ending with null ('\0').
Common functions: strlen, strcpy, strcmp, strcat
Functions
Block of reusable code.
Types: Library functions, User-defined functions.
Call by Value: Copy of variable passed.
Call by Reference: Address passed, original changes.
Pointers
Stores address of another variable.
Example:
int a=10;
int *p;
p=&a;
Structures
Collection of different data types under one name.
Example:
struct Student {
int roll;
char name[20];
float marks;
};
File Handling
Functions: fopen, fclose, fprintf, fscanf
Modes: r (read), w (write), a (append)
Important Programs
1. Print your name, age, branch.
2. Add two numbers.
3. Find simple and compound interest.
4. Area of circle/rectangle/triangle.
5. Even or Odd number check.
6. Largest of 3 numbers.
7. Grade system using if-else.
8. Calculator using switch.
9. Multiplication table.
10. Factorial of a number.
11. Fibonacci series.
12. Reverse a number.
13. Prime number check.
14. Sum & average of array elements.
15. Matrix addition and multiplication.
16. Largest element in array.
17. Count vowels in string.
18. Palindrome string check.
19. Swap numbers using function & pointers.
20. Student record using structures.