Question

Use the C++ precedence rules to remove any unnecessary parentheses from the following expressions:

a. ((a * b) + (c * d))
b. ((a * b) / (c * d))
c. ((a + b) + ((c / (d + e)) * f))
d. (((a + b) / (c + d)) * (e + f))

Answer 1

By applying C++ operator precedence rules, unnecessary parentheses can be removed from expressions. Multiplication and division are performed before addition, and operations within parentheses have the highest priority.

Step-by-step explanation:

In C++, like in other programming languages, certain operators have precedence over others, which means they are evaluated first in an expression without the need for parentheses. The precedence rules dictate that multiplication (*) and division (/) operations are performed before addition (+) and subtraction (-), and that operations within parentheses are performed first.

For the provided expressions, we can apply these rules to remove unnecessary parentheses:

• a. a * b + c * d: Multiplication is done before addition, so no parentheses are needed.
• b. a * b / c * d: Multiplication and division are of the same precedence and are evaluated from left to right, so parentheses are not needed.
• c. a + b + c / (d + e) * f: The parentheses around (a + b) are unnecessary due to addition's associativity. However, we need to keep the parentheses around (d + e) because they affect the result of the division and multiplication that follows.
• d. (a + b) / (c + d) * (e + f): The outer parentheses are necessary to ensure the addition operations are evaluated before the division and multiplication, but no other parentheses are needed.

Always check the answer to confirm that removing parentheses does not change the meaning of the expression.