swapping of two numbers in c without temporary variable

Swapping Two Numbers in C without a Temporary Variable

To swap two numbers in C without using a temporary variable, you can use the XOR bitwise operator. Here are the steps to perform the swap:

1. Initialize the two numbers: Start by initializing the two numbers that you want to swap. Let's call them a and b.

2. Perform the swap: Use the XOR bitwise operator to swap the values of a and b. The XOR operator (^) returns 1 if the corresponding bits of its operands are different, and 0 if they are the same. By performing the XOR operation twice, you can effectively swap the values of a and b without using a temporary variable.

c a = a ^ b; b = a ^ b; a = a ^ b;

The XOR operation works as follows: - a = a ^ b sets a to the bitwise XOR of a and b. This effectively stores the combined value of a and b in a. - b = a ^ b sets b to the bitwise XOR of the new value of a (which is the combined value of a and b) and the original value of b. This effectively stores the original value of a in b. - a = a ^ b sets a to the bitwise XOR of the new value of a (which is the combined value of a and b) and the new value of b (which is the original value of a). This effectively stores the original value of b in a.

1. Verify the swap: After performing the swap, you can verify that the values of a and b have been successfully swapped.

c printf("After swapping:\n"); printf("a = %d\n", a); printf("b = %d\n", b);

This will print the values of a and b after the swap.

Here's the complete code:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int a, b;

    // Step 1: Initialize the two numbers
    a = 10;
    b = 20;

    // Step 2: Perform the swap
    a = a ^ b;
    b = a ^ b;
    a = a ^ b;

    // Step 3: Verify the swap
    printf("After swapping:\n");
    printf("a = %d\n", a);
    printf("b = %d\n", b);

    return 0;
}

When you run this code, it will output:

After swapping:
a = 20
b = 10

This confirms that the values of a and b have been successfully swapped.

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