How do you use for and while loops in Java?

For and While Loops in Java

Loops in Java are control structures that allow repeated execution of a block of code as long as a specified condition is true. The two most common types are for loops and while loops.

For Loop

A for loop is typically used when the number of iterations is known. Its syntax is:

$$ \text{for (initialization; condition; update) {\\ \quad \text{// code \to execute}\\ }} $$

• Initialization: Sets up a loop control variable.
• Condition: Checked before each iteration; loop continues if true.
• Update: Changes the loop control variable after each iteration.

While Loop

A while loop is used when the number of iterations is not known in advance. Its syntax is:

$$ \text{while (condition) {\\ \quad \text{// code \to execute}\\ }} $$

• The condition is checked before each iteration.
• The loop continues as long as the condition is true.

Worked Example

Problem: Print the numbers from 1 to 5 using both a for loop and a while loop.

For Loop:
```java
for (int i = 1; i 5$ **While Loop:** ```java \int i = 1; while (i 5$

Takeaways

• Use a for loop when the number of iterations is known.
• Use a while loop when the number of iterations is unknown or depends on a condition.
• Both loops repeatedly execute code as long as their condition is true.