Lecture

How to Instruct a Computer

Let's write some code to make the computer perform simple calculations and display the results!

Displaying Values on the Screen
const a = 1; const b = 2; const c = 3; console.log((a + c) * b);

Here, console.log is a function that displays values on the screen, showing whatever value is passed within the parentheses.


const is a keyword that defines a constant value which does not change during the execution of the program. In const a = 1, we are assigning the value of 1 to a constant a.

In this context, a keyword is a term with a special meaning in JavaScript that users cannot use as variable names, and = is the operator used to assign values to constants.


The Meaning of =

In programming, the = operator is used not to signify "equals," as learned in math class, but instead to mean "assign the value on the right to the left."

Similarly, we assign the value 2 to constant b, and 3 to constant c.


The Meaning of the Multiplication Operator *

In (a + c) * b, the asterisk (*) represents multiplication.

As a reference, division in programming languages uses a slash (/).


Thus, the result of multiplying the summed value of a and c by b, which is 4 * 2 = 8, is passed to console.log.


Displaying Output

console.log is a function that outputs the value passed within its parentheses. Without console.log, the result of the operation (a + c) * b would not be displayed on the screen.

Simple, isn't it?

We successfully instructed the computer to perform a simple calculation and output task using JavaScript!

In the next lesson, we'll learn about adding simple comments to JavaScript code.

Mission
0 / 1

In JavaScript, does the = operator mean 'equals' as it does in mathematics?

True
False

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