Loops let your code repeat itself—perfect for doing something over and over again. In C, the for loop is one of the clearest ways to do this.


🧠 How the for Loop Works:

for (start; check; change) {
  // Things to repeat
}

Here’s what each part does:

  1. Start: Runs once at the beginning. Example: int i = 1; starts your counter.

  2. Check: A condition that controls how long the loop runs. Example: i <= 10; keeps looping until i goes past 10.

  3. Change: Happens after each loop. Example: i++ increases i by 1 each time.


🧪 Example: Print Numbers 1 to 5

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
  printf("The number is: %d\n", i);
}

Output:

The number is: 1
The number is: 2
The number is: 3
The number is: 4
The number is: 5

💡 Why It’s Useful

The for loop is great when you know how many times you want to repeat something — like printing numbers or doing calculations.


🔄 Other Loops in C

  • while loop: Use when you’re not sure how many times to repeat.
  • do-while loop: Always runs at least once, then checks if it should repeat.

📝 Quick Quiz

Q1: What are the 3 parts of a for loop, and what does each one do?

Q2: Write a for loop that prints even numbers from 2 to 20. Explain how it works.


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