Exercise 5: Memorizing C Operators

When you learned your first programming language, it most likely involved going through a book, typing in code you didn't quite understand, and then trying to figure out how it worked. That's how I wrote most of my other books, and that works very well for beginners. In the beginning, there are complex topics you need to understand before you can grasp what all the symbols and words mean, so it's an easy way to learn.

However, once you already know one programming language, this method of fumbling around learning the syntax by osmosis isn't the most efficient way to learn a language. It works, but there is a much faster way to build both your skills in a language and your confidence in using it. This method of learning a programming language might seem like magic, but you'll have to trust me that it works surprisingly well.

How I want you to learn C is to first memorize all the basic symbols and syntax, then apply them through a series of exercises. This method is very similar to how you might learn human languages by memorizing words and grammar, and then applying what you memorize in conversations. With just a simple amount of memorization effort in the beginning, you can gain foundational knowledge and have an easier time reading and writing C code.

WARNING: Some people are dead against memorization. Usually, they claim it makes you uncreative and boring. I'm proof that memorizing things doesn't make you uncreative and boring. I paint, play and build guitars, sing, code, write books, and I memorize lots of things. This belief is entirely unfounded and detrimental to efficient learning. Please ignore anyone telling you this.