Conditional Statements: switch statement

On Day 6, we continue learning conditional statements. While if-else is useful, it can become long and repetitive when checking many conditions. The switch statement is a cleaner alternative, especially when comparing the same variable against multiple values.

1. Syntax of switch

switch (expression) {
    case value1:
        // code block
        break;
    case value2:
        // code block
        break;
    default:
        // code block
}

How it works: Java evaluates the expression and jumps to the matching case. The break statement prevents execution from falling through to the next case. The default block runs if no case matches.

2. Example: Switch Statement

public class SwitchExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int day = 3;

        switch (day) {
            case 1:
                System.out.println("Monday");
                break;
            case 2:
                System.out.println("Tuesday");
                break;
            case 3:
                System.out.println("Wednesday");
                break;
            case 4:
                System.out.println("Thursday");
                break;
            case 5:
                System.out.println("Friday");
                break;
            case 6:
                System.out.println("Saturday");
                break;
            case 7:
                System.out.println("Sunday");
                break;
            default:
                System.out.println("Invalid day");
        }
    }
}

Output: Since day is 3, the program prints Wednesday.

3. When to Use switch vs if-else

• Use if-else for ranges (e.g., marks ≥ 90).
• Use switch when comparing a single variable against fixed values (like days of the week).

Summary

The switch statement is a clean and efficient way to handle multiple choices in Java. It reduces repetition and makes code easier to read compared to long chains of else if.