What is branching statement ? Explain with the help of flow chart.
A branching statement is a programming statement that determines the flow of control within a program. It allows the program to make decisions based on certain conditions, and execute different code blocks accordingly.
In programming, one common type of branching statement is the if-else statement. It evaluates a condition, and if the condition is true, it executes a particular block of code. If the condition is false, it executes a different block of code. This allows the program to follow different paths based on the evaluation of the condition.
To explain this concept with a flowchart, we can use the following example:
Let's say we have a program that checks if a person is eligible to vote based on their age. Here is how we can represent this using a flowchart:
1. Start
2. Input the person's age
3. Evaluate if the age is greater than or equal to 18
4. If true, display "You are eligible to vote"
5. If false, display "You are not eligible to vote"
6. End
In this flowchart, we can see that the branching statement occurs at step 3. Depending on the evaluation of the condition (age >= 18), the program will follow different paths.
If the condition is true, the program will execute step 4, which displays "You are eligible to vote". If the condition is false, the program will execute step 5, which displays "You are not eligible to vote". Finally, the program will end at step 6.
So, in summary, a branching statement is a programming concept that allows the program to make decisions based on conditions, enabling it to follow different paths of execution. A flowchart is a visual representation that helps to understand the control flow of the program, including the branching statements.