Binary Operators

The arithmetic operators (+,–,*,/) are called binary operators because they require two operands:one operand on each side of the operator.

For example:

5 - 3

In that example...

  • 5 and 3 are the operands
  • "-" is the binary operator

The (–) operator is also used to negate a number (like –5). In this case, –5 is called a unary operator, because it has only one operand.