**Course Title:** Ruby Programming: From Basics to Advanced Techniques **Section Title:** Introduction to Ruby and Setup **Topic:** Basic Ruby syntax: Variables, data types, and operators **Introduction** Welcome to the next topic in our Ruby Programming course, where we'll dive into the basic syntax of Ruby. In this topic, we'll cover variables, data types, and operators, which are the building blocks of any programming language. By the end of this topic, you'll have a solid understanding of how to work with variables, data types, and operators in Ruby. **Variables in Ruby** In Ruby, a variable is a name given to a value. Variables are used to store and manipulate data in your program. In Ruby, you can declare a variable using the assignment operator (=). For example: ```ruby x = 5 # declares a variable x and assigns it the value 5 ``` You can also use the `puts` method to print the value of a variable: ```ruby x = 5 puts x # prints 5 ``` **Data Types in Ruby** Ruby has several built-in data types, including: * **Integer**: whole numbers, e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc. * **Float**: decimal numbers, e.g., 3.14, -0.5, etc. * **String**: sequences of characters, e.g., "hello", 'hello', etc. * **Array**: ordered collections of values, e.g., [1, 2, 3], ["a", "b", "c"], etc. * **Hash**: unordered collections of key-value pairs, e.g., { "name" => "John", "age" => 30}, etc. Here's an example of declaring variables with different data types: ```ruby x = 5 # integer y = 3.14 # float name = "John" # string colors = ["red", "green", "blue"] # array person = { name: "John", age: 30 } # hash ``` **Operators in Ruby** Ruby has various operators for performing arithmetic, comparison, logical, and assignment operations. Here are some examples: * **Arithmetic Operators**: * `+` (addition) * `-` (subtraction) * `*` (multiplication) * `/` (division) * `%` (modulus) * **Comparison Operators**: * `==` (equal to) * `!=` (not equal to) * `>` (greater than) * `<` (less than) * `>=` (greater than or equal to) * `<=` (less than or equal to) * **Logical Operators**: * `&&` (and) * `||` (or) * `!` (not) * **Assignment Operators**: * `=` (assignment) * `+=` (addition assignment) * `-=` (subtraction assignment) * `*=` (multiplication assignment) * `/=` (division assignment) * `%=` (modulus assignment) Here's an example of using operators in a Ruby program: ```ruby x = 5 y = 3 # arithmetic operators puts x + y # prints 8 puts x - y # prints 2 puts x * y # prints 15 puts x / y # prints 1.6666666666666667 puts x % y # prints 2 # comparison operators puts x == y # prints false puts x != y # prints true puts x > y # prints false puts x < y # prints true puts x >= y # prints false puts x <= y # prints true # logical operators puts x > 0 && y > 0 # prints false puts x > 0 || y > 0 # prints true puts !x > 0 # prints false # assignment operators x += 5 # equivalent to x = x + 5 puts x # prints 10 ``` **Practical Takeaways** * Variables are used to store and manipulate data in your program. * Ruby has several built-in data types, including integers, floats, strings, arrays, and hashes. * Ruby has various operators for performing arithmetic, comparison, logical, and assignment operations. * Use the `puts` method to print the value of a variable. * Use the `puts` method to print the result of an expression. **Exercise** Write a Ruby program that declares variables with different data types and uses operators to perform arithmetic and comparison operations. **Leave a comment or ask for help if you have any questions or need further clarification on any of the concepts covered in this topic.**