Can someone help me figure out where I'm going wrong with the JS ternary conditional operator

Question

Can someone help me figure out where I'm going wrong with the JS ternary conditional operator

Looking to improve my JavaScript logic skills as a beginner. Appreciate any tips or feedback on the function and not just this specific question.

I'm curious why the code outputs --> [3,5]

function divisors(integer) {
  let divisors = []
  for (let i = 2; i < (integer/2); i++){
    if (integer % i === 0){
      divisors.push(i) 
    }
  }
  return divisors 
};

divisors(15)

However, the following code returns True:

function divisors(integer) {
  let divisors = []
  for (let i = 2; i < (integer/2); i++){
    if (integer % i === 0){
      divisors.push(i) 
    }
  }
  return divisors ? divisors != [] : 'test${interger} is prime'
};

divisors(15)

This is what I am trying to achieve:
return divisors if divisors != [] else f'{integer} is prime'

If you could break down what's happening between these two sets of code, that would be really helpful!

javascript logic

Answer 1

Answer №1

The ternary operator is composed of three sections:

condition ? true value : false value

Your initial statement was:

divisors ? divisors != [] : 'test${interger} is prime'

In this case, the condition being evaluated is divisors (i.e. Is divisors a true value).

If it is, the result will be divisors != []. The != comparison returns a boolean. Since no value can match an empty array, divisors != [] will always be true.

This is what I am aiming to express: return divisors if divisors not equal to an empty array otherwise display '${integer} is prime'

However, there are three issues with your approach:

The condition needs to come first
As previously mentioned, comparing divisors to a new array will always yield true. To check for an empty array, you need to assess its length.
Template strings should be enclosed in backticks (`), not single quotes (')

Therefore, the correct syntax would be:

divisors.length > 0 ? divisors : `test${interger} is prime`

You can simplify divisors.length > 0 to just divisors.length since 0 evaluates as false and any other number as true.

Answer 2

The ternary operator is composed of three sections:

condition ? true value : false value

Your initial statement was:

divisors ? divisors != [] : 'test${interger} is prime'

In this case, the condition being evaluated is divisors (i.e. Is divisors a true value).

If it is, the result will be divisors != []. The != comparison returns a boolean. Since no value can match an empty array, divisors != [] will always be true.

This is what I am aiming to express: return divisors if divisors not equal to an empty array otherwise display '${integer} is prime'

However, there are three issues with your approach:

The condition needs to come first
As previously mentioned, comparing divisors to a new array will always yield true. To check for an empty array, you need to assess its length.
Template strings should be enclosed in backticks (`), not single quotes (')

Therefore, the correct syntax would be:

divisors.length > 0 ? divisors : `test${interger} is prime`

You can simplify divisors.length > 0 to just divisors.length since 0 evaluates as false and any other number as true.

Answer 3

Answer №2

However, the code below will result in True

This outcome is derived from the following operation:

divisors ? divisors != [] : 'test${interger} is prime'

If divisors holds a value that is considered to be true, then the expression will evaluate to true. If not, it will resolve to the string 'test${interger} is prime'.

Your intention appears to be returning divisors if it is not empty, and returning a specific string otherwise. In this case, you could check the array's length directly and return the array itself instead of comparing it with an empty array. For example:

divisors.length > 0 ? divisors : 'test${interger} is prime'

Furthermore, if the string is supposed to be a template literal, different quotes should be utilized:

divisors.length > 0 ? divisors : `test${interger} is prime`

It's worth noting... This does not qualify as a "single line if statement". It is actually a conditional expression using the ternary operator. Despite their similar functionality, a ternary conditional expression and an if statement or block should not be treated interchangeably.

Answer 4

However, the code below will result in True

This outcome is derived from the following operation:

divisors ? divisors != [] : 'test${interger} is prime'

If divisors holds a value that is considered to be true, then the expression will evaluate to true. If not, it will resolve to the string 'test${interger} is prime'.

Your intention appears to be returning divisors if it is not empty, and returning a specific string otherwise. In this case, you could check the array's length directly and return the array itself instead of comparing it with an empty array. For example:

divisors.length > 0 ? divisors : 'test${interger} is prime'

Furthermore, if the string is supposed to be a template literal, different quotes should be utilized:

divisors.length > 0 ? divisors : `test${interger} is prime`

It's worth noting... This does not qualify as a "single line if statement". It is actually a conditional expression using the ternary operator. Despite their similar functionality, a ternary conditional expression and an if statement or block should not be treated interchangeably.

Answer 5

Answer №3

From my understanding, you are looking to identify the divisors of a given integer, specifically 15 in this case.

The divisors of 15 are [1, 3, 5, 15], which should be the expected output.

However, it seems that there is an issue with how the loop iteration is starting at 2 and ending at half the integer, excluding both 1 and the integer itself as potential divisors.

As a result, you are only left with the divisors 3 and 5 in your current calculations.

In regards to the second part:

Your ternary statement checks if there are any values in the variable "divisors." If there are values present (such as [3, 5]), the condition returns true.

This leads to the function outputting True based on the mentioned conditions.

Here's a suggestion for what you might want to achieve:

return divisors != [] ? divisors : f'{integer} is prime'

The above ternary statement evaluates whether there are divisors present or not. If divisors exist, it returns those values; otherwise, it returns a string indicating that the integer is prime.

Please feel free to reach out if you need further clarification or assistance on this matter.

Answer 6

From my understanding, you are looking to identify the divisors of a given integer, specifically 15 in this case.

The divisors of 15 are [1, 3, 5, 15], which should be the expected output.

However, it seems that there is an issue with how the loop iteration is starting at 2 and ending at half the integer, excluding both 1 and the integer itself as potential divisors.

As a result, you are only left with the divisors 3 and 5 in your current calculations.

In regards to the second part:

Your ternary statement checks if there are any values in the variable "divisors." If there are values present (such as [3, 5]), the condition returns true.

This leads to the function outputting True based on the mentioned conditions.

Here's a suggestion for what you might want to achieve:

return divisors != [] ? divisors : f'{integer} is prime'

The above ternary statement evaluates whether there are divisors present or not. If divisors exist, it returns those values; otherwise, it returns a string indicating that the integer is prime.

Please feel free to reach out if you need further clarification or assistance on this matter.

Can someone help me figure out where I'm going wrong with the JS ternary conditional operator

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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