What are the differences between associativity and precedence in programming?

What are the differences between associativity and precedence in programming?

Associativity determines the order of operations for operators of the same precedence level, while precedence defines the order of operations among different operators.

Can you give me an example of how precedence works?

Sure! In the expression 3 + 4 * 5, multiplication has higher precedence than addition, so it evaluates as 3 + (4 * 5), resulting in 23.

And what about associativity? How does that affect the evaluation?

Associativity tells us the direction of evaluation. For example, in the expression 5 - 3 - 2, subtraction is left associative, so it evaluates as (5 - 3) - 2, resulting in 0.

Are there any operators that have different associativity?

Yes, for instance, the exponentiation operator ** in Python is right associative, meaning 2 ** 3 ** 2 evaluates as 2 ** (3 ** 2).