a - bc introduction in shell scripts bc reads input from standard input (stdin) and outputs results to standard output (stdout). You can use it within a shell script by piping expressions to it or by using here documents While basic arithmetic can be done using $((...)) or expr, it is limited to integer operations ... and does not support decimal precision or advanced mathematical functions like square roots. bc is more versatile in such cases. In summary, bc is a powerful tool for advanced mathematical operations in shell scripts, especially for: Floating-point calculations Complex expressions (e.g., square root, exponentials) Precise decimal arithmetic using scale
b - bc examples in shell scripts example 1 → Simple Arithmetic example 2 → Using Variables example 3 → Division with Two Decimal Places example 4 → Square Root example 5 → Exponential example 6 → Using Here Documents
c - bc tips in shell scripts Quoting expressions → Always use quotes when passing variable expressions to bc to prevent unexpected behavior. Setting scale → For precise decimal output, always set scale explicitly. Error handling → Use if statements to check for errors in bc output or return codes. Example → Error Handling By integrating bc into your scripts, you can handle a wide range of numerical problems... that go beyond the standard shell arithmetic capabilities.