Relational Operators

Relational operators compare two values and give you a bool result — true or false. They're the building blocks of decision-making in your programs. Every if-statement, loop, and condition depends on these.

The Comparison Operators

Here's every relational operator in C#:

int x = 10;
int y = 5;

Console.WriteLine(x == y);   // False — equal to
Console.WriteLine(x != y);   // True  — not equal to
Console.WriteLine(x > y);    // True  — greater than
Console.WriteLine(x < y);    // False — less than
Console.WriteLine(x >= y);   // True  — greater than or equal to
Console.WriteLine(x <= y);   // False — less than or equal to
    

Notice the double equals == for comparison. A single = is assignment. Mixing them up is a classic mistake — the compiler will catch it though.

Comparing Different Types

You can compare values of different numeric types — C# handles the conversion automatically:

int score = 85;
double passing = 70.0;

Console.WriteLine(score >= passing);  // True — int and double work fine together
    

For strings, == compares the actual text (not memory addresses like in some languages):

string name1 = "Alice";
string name2 = "Alice";
string name3 = "Bob";

Console.WriteLine(name1 == name2);  // True — same text
Console.WriteLine(name1 == name3);  // False — different text
    

Using Comparisons in Practice

Relational operators really shine inside conditions:

int age = 18;

if (age >= 18) {
  Console.WriteLine("You can vote!");
}

if (age < 13) {
  Console.WriteLine("You're a child");
} else if (age < 20) {
  Console.WriteLine("You're a teenager");
} else {
  Console.WriteLine("You're an adult");
}
    

You'll use these operators constantly once we get into control flow. For now, get comfortable with what each one checks.