What is the difference between '==' and '=' in programming?

In programming, the symbols '==' and '=' serve distinct functions that are fundamental to understanding how to manipulate and compare data. The correct choice states that '==' is used to compare two values for equality, while '=' is employed to assign a value to a variable.

The equality operator '==' checks whether the values on its left and right sides are equal. For example, in an expression like if (a == b), it evaluates to true if the values of a and b are the same and false otherwise. This is crucial for making decisions in programs, such as in conditional statements and loops, allowing the code to behave differently based on value comparisons.

On the other hand, the assignment operator '=' assigns a value to a variable. For instance, in the statement x = 5, the variable x is given the value of 5. This is one of the most fundamental operations in programming, as it allows you to store data that can be used and manipulated later in the program's flow.

In sum, understanding that '==' checks for equality and '=' is for assignment is vital for writing effective and correct code. This distinction helps prevent common errors, especially in conditional statements, where accidentally using '=' instead of '