C Programming Language

• C is a general-purpose, imperative programming language developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in 1972.
• It’s known for its simplicity, efficiency, and direct access to hardware, making it a powerful tool for system programming and embedded systems development.
• Despite its age, C remains highly influential and widely used, forming the foundation for many other languages like C++, Java, and Python.

Key Features:

• Imperative style: C focuses on instructing the computer what to do step-by-step.
• Procedural programming: Code is organized into functions that perform specific tasks.
• Structured programming: C supports control flow statements like if, else, and while loops for organized code.
• Static typing: Data types like int, float, and char must be declared before use, ensuring memory management and efficiency.
• Pointers: Direct memory access allows for complex data structures and dynamic memory allocation.
• Compilation: C programs are translated into machine code for specific platforms, enabling efficient execution.

Applications:

• Operating systems: Major OS kernels like Linux and Windows are written in C.
• Embedded systems: C’s efficiency and low-level access make it ideal for resource-constrained devices.
• Games and graphics: Many game engines and graphics libraries utilize C for performance-critical tasks.
• Networking and communication: C plays a vital role in network protocols and communication software.
• Science and engineering: C’s numerical capabilities are valuable for scientific computing and data analysis.