In programming, how do operators assist in performing operations (such as calculations) on data?

Operators in programming are special symbols that carry out operations on certain values or variables. These are the building blocks that manipulate the value of a program. Here's how they assist in performing operations:

1. Arithmetic Operators: These are used to perform mathematical operations similar to what we do in basic arithmetic like addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), modulus (%), increment (++), and decrement (--).

2. Relational Operators: These are used to compare two values. They include equal to (==), not equal to (!=), greater than (>), less than (<), greater than or equal to (>=), and less than or equal to (<=).

3. Logical Operators: These are used to combine two or more conditions. They include AND (&&), OR (||), and NOT (!).

4. Assignment Operators: These are used to assign values to variables. They include equal to (=), plus equal to (+=), minus equal to (-=), multiply equal to (*=), divide equal to (/=), and modulus equal to (%=).

5. Bitwise Operators: These are used to perform operations on bits and perform bit-level operations. They include AND (&), OR (|), XOR (^), NOT (~), Left shift (<<), and Right shift (>>).

6. Ternary Operator: It is a shorthand version of the if-else statement. It has three operands and hence the name ternary.

7. Unary Operator: It has only one operand. For example, unary minus (-) to negate an expression, unary plus (+) which doesn’t really do anything, and logical negation (!) which inverts the value of a boolean.

8. Compound Assignment Operators: These operators combine the assignment operator with another operator. For example, the operator += adds the right operand to the left operand and assigns the result to the left operand.

By using these operators, programmers can control how data is manipulated and used within their programs.