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Learning the “IF” Statement in C Programming

Hey there, little programmer!
Have you ever made a decision like, “If it’s sunny, I’ll go play outside”? That’s exactly what the “IF” statement in C programming does! It helps your computer make decisions just like you do in real life. Let’s break it down with a fun example!

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What is an “IF” Statement?

An “IF” statement is like a question your computer asks. If the answer is yes, it will do something; if the answer is no, it will skip it.

Here’s how it works:

Syntax:

if (condition) {
    // Do something
}

• Condition: This is a question or test. It could be something like, “Is it sunny?” or “Is my score above 50?”
• Do something: If the answer is yes, your computer will do the action inside the curly braces {}.

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Real-Life Example

Imagine you’re deciding what to do after school:

• If it’s sunny, you’ll go outside and play.
• If it’s raining, you’ll stay inside and play video games.

In C programming, you can tell your computer to make decisions just like this. Let’s say you want the computer to print a message if it’s sunny:

if (weather == "sunny") {
    printf("It's a sunny day! Let's play outside!");
}

If the weather is sunny, the computer will print, “It’s a sunny day! Let’s play outside!” But if it’s not sunny, it won’t do anything.

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Another Example – Is it Time for Homework?

Here’s another fun one! Imagine your mom says:

• If it’s 5 PM, you should do your homework.
• Otherwise, you can keep playing.

This is how you would tell your computer that:

int time = 5;

if (time == 5) {
    printf("It's 5 PM! Time to do homework.");
} else {
    printf("You can keep playing!");
}

Here:

• The condition time == 5 checks if the time is 5 PM.
• If yes, it prints, “It’s 5 PM! Time to do homework.”
• If no, it prints, “You can keep playing!”

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How Does the IF Statement Work in C?

Just like in real life, your computer needs to know when to do something. It checks the condition you give it, like, “Is this true?” If it’s true, the computer follows the instructions inside the curly braces. If it’s false, the computer moves on without doing anything.

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Challenge Time!

Let’s play a game with the computer! Can you write a program that checks:

• If it’s your birthday, the computer prints: “Happy Birthday!”
• If it’s not your birthday, it prints: “Have a nice day!”

Here’s how you can write it:

int isBirthday = 1;  // 1 means yes, 0 means no

if (isBirthday == 1) {
    printf("Happy Birthday!");
} else {
    printf("Have a nice day!");
}

Try running this code and see what happens!

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Why is the IF Statement Important?

With the “IF” statement, you’re teaching your computer to make decisions just like you do every day. Whether you’re deciding what to do after school or which game to play, you’re using conditions to figure things out. Now, your computer can do the same thing with your help!

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Summary

• The “IF” statement is a way for your computer to make decisions.
• You give it a condition (a question), and if the answer is yes, it does something.
• It’s just like making decisions in real life—like if it’s sunny, you’ll play outside, but if it’s rainy, you’ll stay inside.

So, the next time you’re coding, think of yourself as a decision-maker for your computer!

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