Q.The textbook illustrates assigning values to variables within the declaration section (initialization), where the declaration consists of a data type, a variable name, an equal sign, a number and a semicolon:

int x = 1;  
char ch = 'y';  
double r = 0.1234e-4  

Initialization means giving a variable a starting value at the moment it is declared, by writing the data type, variable name, an equal sign and the value. …

[!TLDR]

A variable can be given its initial value in the same statement that declares it — this is called initialization.

When values are assigned within the declaration section, the declaration consists of a data type, a variable name, an equal sign, a value and a semicolon. Here int x = 1; declares x as an integer and stores 1 in it; char ch = 'y'; declares ch as a character and stores the character 'y' (character constants are written between apostrophes); and double r = 0.1234e-4; declares r as a double-precision real number holding $0.1234 \times 10^{-4}$. Initializing at the point of declaration guarantees the variable starts with a known value rather than an unpredi …