Question

How to check whether a number is positive/zero/negative without using conditional statements in C#

Answer 1

using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        int n = 89;

        // create text labels for each possible case
        string[] result = {
            "negative",  // index 0
            "zero",      // index 1
            "positive"   // index 2
        };

        // compute an index without using any conditional statements
        // (n > 0) becomes 1 if true, 0 if false
        // (n < 0) becomes 1 if true, 0 if false
        // index = 1 + (n > 0) - (n < 0)
        int index = 1 + (n > 0 ? 1 : 0) - (n < 0 ? 1 : 0);

        // print the classification
        Console.WriteLine(result[index]);

        /*
          Checks:

          n = -3
          (n > 0) = 0
          (n < 0) = 1
          index = 1 + 0 - 1 = 0
          result = negative

          n = 0
          (n > 0) = 0
          (n < 0) = 0
          index = 1 + 0 - 0 = 1
          result = zero

          n = 89
          (n > 0) = 1
          (n < 0) = 0
          index = 1 + 1 - 0 = 2
          result = positive
        */
    }
}


/*
run:

positive

*/

 

70+ SQL courses for beginners and professionals