Constants and literals - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Constants and Literals in C

📖 Scenario: You are creating a simple program to display information about a book. You will use constants and literals to store fixed information like the book's title, author, and the number of pages.

🎯 Goal: Build a C program that uses constants and literals to store and display book details.

📋 What You'll Learn

Use #define to create a constant for the maximum title length.

Use string literals to store the book's title and author.

Use an integer literal to store the number of pages.

Print the book information using printf.

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Constants and literals are used to store fixed information like configuration values, messages, or fixed data in programs.

💼 Career

Understanding constants and literals is essential for writing clear, maintainable, and bug-free code in any software development job.

1

Create string literals for book title and author

Create two string variables called title and author and assign them the exact values "The Great Gatsby" and "F. Scott Fitzgerald" respectively.

C

// Your code here

Hint

Use double quotes to create string literals in C.

2

Define a constant for maximum title length

Add a #define directive called MAX_TITLE_LENGTH and set it to 50.

C

char title[] = "The Great Gatsby";
char author[] = "F. Scott Fitzgerald";
// Your code here

Hint

Use #define at the top of your code to create constants.

3

Create an integer literal for number of pages

Create an integer variable called pages and assign it the value 180.

C

#define MAX_TITLE_LENGTH 50
char title[] = "The Great Gatsby";
char author[] = "F. Scott Fitzgerald";
// Your code here

Hint

Use an integer literal without quotes for numbers.

4

Print the book information

Use printf to display the book information in this exact format: Title: The Great Gatsby, Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pages: 180.

C

#define MAX_TITLE_LENGTH 50
char title[] = "The Great Gatsby";
char author[] = "F. Scott Fitzgerald";
int pages = 180;
// Your code here

Hint

Use %s for strings and %d for integers in printf.

Practice

1. What is a constant in C programming?

easy

A. A function that returns a value

B. A fixed value that cannot be changed during program execution

C. A variable that can change its value anytime

D. A type of loop in C

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the meaning of constant

   A constant is a value that remains the same throughout the program and cannot be modified.

2. Step 2: Compare options with definition

   Only A fixed value that cannot be changed during program execution describes a fixed value that does not change, which matches the definition of a constant.

3. Final Answer:

   A fixed value that cannot be changed during program execution -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Constant = fixed value [OK]

Hint: Constants never change value once set [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing constants with variables
• Thinking constants are functions
• Mixing constants with loops

2. Which of the following is the correct way to define a constant integer named MAX with value 100 in C?

easy

A. All of the above

B. #define MAX 100

C. const int MAX = 100;

D. int const MAX = 100;

Solution

1. Step 1: Review ways to define constants in C

   Constants can be defined using #define or using const keyword with variable declaration.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   #define MAX 100 uses #define, which is valid. int const MAX = 100; uses int const, which is valid. const int MAX = 100; uses const int, also valid. So all are correct.

3. Final Answer:

   All of the above -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   All methods define constants [OK]

Hint: Use #define or const keyword for constants [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using variable without const
• Missing semicolon in const declaration
• Confusing #define with variable

3. What will be the output of the following C code?

#include <stdio.h>
#define PI 3.14
int main() {
    const int radius = 5;
    float area = PI * radius * radius;
    printf("%.2f", area);
    return 0;
}

medium

A. Syntax error

B. 31.40

C. 78.50

D. 25.00

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate area using given formula

   Area = PI * radius * radius = 3.14 * 5 * 5 = 3.14 * 25 = 78.5

2. Step 2: Check printf formatting

   Using %.2f prints the float with 2 decimal places, so output is 78.50

3. Final Answer:

   78.50 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Area = 3.14 * 25 = 78.50 [OK]

Hint: Calculate formula carefully and check decimal format [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong formula
• Ignoring decimal places
• Confusing radius with diameter

4. Identify the error in the following C code snippet:

const int x;
x = 10;
printf("%d", x);

medium

A. Cannot assign value to const variable after declaration

B. Missing semicolon after declaration

C. printf format specifier is wrong

D. No error, code runs fine

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand const variable rules

   A const variable must be initialized when declared and cannot be assigned a value later.

2. Step 2: Analyze the code

   Here, const int x; declares x without initialization, then tries to assign 10 later, which is not allowed.

3. Final Answer:

   Cannot assign value to const variable after declaration -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   const variables must be initialized once [OK]

Hint: Initialize const variables when declared [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assigning value after declaration
• Not initializing const variables
• Ignoring const rules

5. You want to create a constant array of 3 integers in C that cannot be modified after initialization. Which of the following declarations achieves this correctly?

hard

A. int arr[3] = {1, 2, 3};

B. int const *arr = {1, 2, 3};

C. #define arr {1, 2, 3}

D. const int arr[3] = {1, 2, 3};

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand const array declaration

   Declaring an array with const int arr[3] means the elements cannot be changed after initialization.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   int arr[3] = {1, 2, 3}; declares a normal array, elements can be changed. const int arr[3] = {1, 2, 3}; declares a constant array correctly. #define arr {1, 2, 3} uses #define incorrectly for array. int const *arr = {1, 2, 3}; declares a pointer to const int, but initialization is invalid.

3. Final Answer:

   const int arr[3] = {1, 2, 3}; -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   const array elements cannot change [OK]

Hint: Use const before type for constant arrays [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using #define for arrays
• Declaring non-const arrays
• Incorrect pointer initialization