How does operator precedence work in C++?

Operator precedence in C++ determines the order in which operators are evaluated in an expression when there are multiple operators. If operators have the same precedence, they are evaluated based on their associativity (left-to-right or right-to-left).

Here's a quick summary of the precedence and associativity of some common operators, from highest to lowest precedence:

1. Postfix operators (e.g., ++, -) - left to right
2. Prefix operators (e.g., ++, -, !) - right to left
3. Multiplicative operators (, /, %) - left to right
4. Additive operators (+, ) - left to right
5. Relational operators (<, <=, >, >=) - left to right
6. Equality operators (==, !=) - left to right
7. Logical AND (&&) - left to right
8. Logical OR (||) - left to right
9. Assignment operators (=, +=, =, etc.) - right to left

For example:

1// a is 17, because * has
2// higher precedence than +
3int a = 5 + 3 * 4;
4
5// b is true, because && has
6// higher precedence than ||
7bool b = true || false && false;

If you want to override the default precedence, you can use parentheses. Expressions inside parentheses are always evaluated first. For example:

1// a is 32, because (5 + 3) is evaluated first
2int a = (5 + 3) * 4;
3
4// b is false, because (true || false)
5// is evaluated first
6bool b = (true || false) && false;

It's often a good idea to use parentheses even when they're not strictly necessary, as they can make your code more readable and less prone to errors.

Also, keep in mind that the precedence and associativity rules can interact in complex ways when there are many operators in a single expression. When in doubt, use parentheses to make your intent clear.