Question 1

Is operator precedence the same in every language?

Accepted Answer

No. C, C++, Java, and JavaScript share one table, with a few extra operators in each. Python uses and, or, and not, chains comparisons, and writes conditionals as x if c else y. Go binds shifts and bitwise AND with multiplication, above addition. Kotlin has no C-style shift symbols; shl, shr, and, or, and xor are infix functions, and ?: is the elvis operator rather than a ternary.

Question 2

Does multiplication happen before addition?

Accepted Answer

Yes in C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Go, and Kotlin. Multiplicative operators (*, /, %) bind tighter than addition, so a + b * c is a + (b * c). Parentheses can override that order.

Question 3

Why does a & b == c mean different things in Java and Go?

Accepted Answer

In C, C++, Java, and JavaScript, equality binds tighter than bitwise AND, so a & b == c is a & (b == c). In Go, & binds with multiplication, above equality, so the same text is (a & b) == c.

Operator Precedence Visualizer

Operator Precedence

Expression Tree