Switch & the Ternary Operator

switch — many fixed cases

When you compare one value against many options, switch is tidier than a long if/else chain.

<script>
  let day = 3;
  let name;
  switch (day) {
    case 1: name = "Monday"; break;
    case 2: name = "Tuesday"; break;
    case 3: name = "Wednesday"; break;
    default: name = "Other";
  }
  document.write(name);
</script>

Here is how a switch runs step by step:

1. switch (day) takes the value to test — here day is 3.
2. It compares that value against each case from top to bottom.
3. case 1 and case 2 do not match, so they are skipped.
4. case 3 matches, so name = "Wednesday" runs.
5. break stops the switch right there. (default only runs if no case matched.)

Ternary — a one-line if/else

The ternary operator condition ? a : b returns a if true, else b — perfect for short choices.

<script>
  let age = 20;
  let status = age >= 18 ? "Adult" : "Minor";
  document.write(status);
</script>

Read it as a quick question: "Is age >= 18?" Since age is 20, the answer is yes, so the value before the colon ("Adult") is chosen and stored in status. If age were under 18, the value after the colon ("Minor") would be chosen instead.