What is short-circuit evaluation in logical operations?

Short-circuit evaluation is a technique used in logical operations where the evaluation of expressions stops as soon as the outcome can be definitively determined. This is particularly useful in conditional statements involving logical operators such as AND and OR, where not all operands need to be evaluated to arrive at a final result.

For instance, in an expression using the AND operator, if the first condition evaluates to false, the overall expression must also be false regardless of the value of any subsequent conditions. Therefore, the evaluation of those subsequent conditions is bypassed. Similarly, with the OR operator, if the first condition evaluates to true, the overall expression is true, and any further conditions are not evaluated.

This efficiency in evaluation minimizes unnecessary computation, making it a powerful aspect of programming that can enhance performance and reduce resource usage.