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Compound Boolean Expressions

Ethan Taylor

Ethan Taylor

6 min read

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Study Guide Overview

This study guide covers conditional statements in Java, focusing on nested conditionals, boolean logical operators (&&, ||, !), and compound conditional statements. It explains the order of operations for boolean operators, emphasizes code readability through indentation, and provides examples, practice questions (multiple-choice and free-response), and exam tips.

AP Computer Science A: Conditionals - The Night Before 🚀

Hey! Let's make sure you're totally set for tomorrow. We're going to break down conditionals, make them super clear, and get you feeling confident. Let’s dive in!

Nested Conditionals: Level Up Your Logic

Sometimes, one if isn't enough. That's where nested conditionals come in. Think of it as an if statement inside another if statement. It's like a set of Russian nesting dolls, each one depending on the one before it.

How They Work

  • An outer if condition is checked first.
  • If the outer condition is true, the inner if condition is evaluated.
  • If the outer condition is false, the inner condition is skipped.

Here’s the leap year example from your notes:

java
public static boolean isLeap(int year) {
    if (year % 100 == 0) {  // Outer if: Is it a century year?
        if (year % 400 == 0) { // Inner if: Is it divisible by 400?
            return true; // It's a leap year!
        }
        return false; // Not a leap year
    } else if (year % 4 == 0) { // If not a century year, check divisibility by 4
        return true; // It's a leap year!
    }
    return false; // Not a leap year
}

Key Concept

Why Indentation Matters

Notice how the code is indented? This makes it MUCH easier to see which if belongs to which. Proper indentation is key for readability and debugging. Imagine trying to debug that mess without it! 😵‍💫

Boolean Logical Operators: The Power of AND, OR, and NOT

These operato...

Question 1 of 7

Consider the following code snippet:

java
int x = 5;
if (x > 0) {
  if (x < 10) {
    System.out.println("Hello!");
  }
}

What will be the output?

Hello!

No output

Error

An empty string