README.md

Basic Concepts of Exception Handling in C++: Dealing with Divide-by-Zero

This section provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of exception handling in C++ with a focus on understanding and handling a common runtime error: divide-by-zero. Through this section, students will learn how exception handling provides a way to respond to exceptional circumstances (like divide-by-zero errors) in programs by transferring control to special functions called handlers.

Understanding Exceptions

An exception is an event that occurs during the execution of a program that disrupts the normal flow of the program's instructions. In C++ programming, exception handling is managed with three keywords: try, catch, and throw.

• try: A block of code that might throw an exception. It's followed by one or more catch blocks.
• catch: A block of code that handles an exception. It specifies the type of exception it can handle.
• throw: Used to actually pass an exception. An exception can be any object.

Divide-by-Zero Error

Dividing by zero is a common error that occurs in programs when a division operation in the code attempts to divide a number by zero. This is undefined behavior in C++ and can cause programs to crash or produce invalid results. Exception handling allows us to manage this error gracefully.

Example: Handling Divide-by-Zero Exception

#include <iostream>
#include <stdexcept> // Include for std::runtime_error

double safe_divide(double numerator, double denominator) {
    if (denominator == 0) {
        throw std::runtime_error("Math error: Attempted to divide by Zero\n");
    }
    return numerator / denominator;
}

int main() {
    double numerator = 10.0;
    double denominator = 0.0;

    try {
        double result = safe_divide(numerator, denominator);
        std::cout << "The result is: " << result << std::endl;
    } catch (const std::runtime_error& e) {
        std::cerr << "Exception occurred: " << e.what() << std::endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Explanation of the Example

In the example above:

1. We define a function safe_divide that takes two double values as arguments.
2. Inside safe_divide, we check if the denominator is zero. If it is, we throw a std::runtime_error with an appropriate error message.
3. In main, we call safe_divide inside a try block which is followed by a catch block designed to catch std::runtime_error exceptions.
4. If an exception is thrown, the catch block catches it and prints the error message.

By running this program, you'll see that it doesn't crash; instead, it prints the error message "Exception occurred: Math error: Attempted to divide by Zero\n".

Best Practices

• Always check for divide-by-zero and other error conditions before performing arithmetic operations.
• Use exceptions to signal the occurrence of an exceptional event that cannot be handled in the local scope.
• Write catch blocks to handle specific types of exceptions when possible.

Assignments

• Assignment 1: Modify the above example to handle multiple exceptions.
• Assignment 2: Write a function that performs a series of arithmetic operations and includes proper exception handling.

Conclusion

This section provided an introduction to exception handling with a simple divide-by-zero example. Understanding and using exception handling effectively can lead to more robust and reliable C++ applications.