Key Concepts

Review core concepts you need to learn to master this subject

Variables

Constants

Arithmetic Operators

Types

String Interpolation

Compound Assignment Operators

Variables

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A variable refers to a storage location in the computer’s memory that one can set aside to save, retrieve, and manipulate data.

Constants

var score = 0

Constants refer to fixed values that a program may not alter during its execution. One can be declared by using the let keyword.

Arithmetic Operators

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Swift supports arithmetic operators for:

  • + addition
  • - subtraction
  • * multiplication
  • / division
  • % remainder

Types

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Type annotation can be used during declaration.

The basic data types are:

  • Int: integer numbers
  • Double: floating-point numbers
  • String: a sequence of characters
  • Bool: truth values

String Interpolation

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String interpolation can be used to construct a String from a mix of variables, constants, and others by including their values inside a string literal.

Compound Assignment Operators

var score = 0

Compound assignment operators provide a shorthand method for updating the value of a variable:

  • += add and assign the sum
  • -= subtract and assign the difference
  • *= multiply and assign the product
  • /= divide and assign the quotient
  • %= divide and assign the remainder
Variables
Lesson 1 of 1
  1. 1
    Introduction to Variables
    The “Hello, world!” program simply writes to the screen. It does not read anything, calculate anything, or allow for user input. That’s no fun! Real programs tend to produce results based on some …
    Start
  2. 2
    Declare a Variable
    Suppose we are building a game, and we want to keep track of the player’s name, the player’s score that goes from 0 to 10, the player’s level, etc. We need some variables! Before we can use a var…
    Start
  3. 3
    Arithmetic Operators
    Computers are incredible at doing calculations. Now that we have declared variables, let’s use them with arithmetic operators to calculate things! Here are some arithmetic operators: - + additi…
    Start
  4. 4
    Compound Assignment Operators
    Sometimes the value of our variables need to be adjusted. We know that we can update our variables using arithmetic operators like this: var age = 99 age = age + 1 print(age) // Prints 100 We a…
    Start
  5. 5
    Type
    We can provide a type annotation when we declare a variable to be clear about the kind of value that the variable can store. Some of the basic data types: - Int: integer numbers - Double: float…
    Start
  6. 6
    String Interpolation
    Often times, we find ourselves needing to insert values into a string. In these cases, we can use string interpolation. In Swift, to insert a value into a string using string interpolation, we …
    Start
  7. 7
    Constants
    We’ve manipulated variables in the last few exercises, but what about variables with values we don’t want to change? That’s the job for constants. Whereas variables can be reassigned during thei…
    Start
  8. 8
    Challenge: Temperature
    Now that we’ve learned about the basics of variables and arithmetic operators, let’s write a program! The mad scientist Kelvin has mastered predicting the weather in his mountain-side meteorology …
    Start
  9. 9
    Review
    You made it to the end of the lesson! High five. 🙌 Here is a review of the lesson: - A variable represents a particular piece of your computer’s memory that has been set aside for you to use to s…
    Start

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