I know you pronounce equality == in if(x == 5) this way
If x equals to 5 . . .
But how do you utter it in a coding context (assignment); i.e. = in x=5 ?
maybe something like:
x be assigned to 5
What would you say?
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I would say "5 is assigned to x", or "x is filled with 5"... but I'm not native english. In my native language (french), there is no way to say it "nicely". We would better talk of "x is initialized to 5".– RandomAug 7 '15 at 8:18
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I would say for X equal to 5– Lucian SavaAug 7 '15 at 8:28
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The first question (which nobody asked) should be: What programming language is this, that uses double "=" signs? Because yours is not a question about English; it is about that programming language. In BASIC , assigment is "LET A=B" (let A equal B) In C, you can say things such as "B++" (increment B). How you say it has nothing to do with English rules; it depends on the programming language's syntax.– Brian HitchcockAug 8 '15 at 10:09
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There are very minor differences but they are basically the same:
Comparison
if (x == 5)
Is pronounced - if x is equal to five
Assignment
x = 5
Is pronounced - x equals five
Another, more technical way (the above is a colloquial term) is set x to five.
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"x = 5" in programming is not an equality... it puts the value "5" in the variable "x"... so I don't think we would say "x equals five".– RandomAug 7 '15 at 8:13
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@Milad I often use it in conversation about mathematical equations or programs Aug 7 '15 at 8:18
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1@Milad: Beta's answer here is sound. In some languages (notably Fortran), the equality symbol and the assignment symbol are the same, and many people say: "x equals e" when they mean "store the value of e in x," or "x becomes e. Aug 7 '15 at 16:39
Programming Answer:
If (x == 5) { (code) }
tells the computer:
If (x is equal to 5) { Do this code }
While
x = 5
tells the computer
The variable x currently has the value of 5. (Anywhere the variable "x" is used the value of 5 will replace it unless x is changed later)
The reason we use "==" for "equals" is because we had already decided that " = " means "is assigned to"
Math Answer
In algebra and calculus "x = 5" would be "x equals 5"
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1I always say x=5 as "x equals five" @Milad even though it is technically incorrect. Aug 7 '15 at 8:39