Assignment and Control

Abstract

Programs may exhibit complex behavior even though they are built from simple components. The complexity arises from the interdependence of computations and data in the program. Obviously, the computations determine the results produced. Less obviously, but equally important, the result produced by each computation may affect a future computation. Managing the interdependence of computations and data is one of the major tasks of programming. Assignments and control structures are essential tools that help us to perform this task.Assignments give new values to variables. Control structures use results to control the order in which computations are performed.