Problem 57735. Easy Sequences 98: One-line Code Challenge - Ternary Operator Function

Ternary operation is a standard construct in most computer languages. The ternary operator assigns value to a variable depending on the result of the condition. For example, we find the following syntax in C and many C-like languages:
y = (p > q) ? m : n;
which means that y is assigned the value of either m or n, depending on whether the statement (p > q) is true or false, respectively.
Unfortunately, Matlab does not have a ternary operator and if we need to get the same effect, we may write the statement this way:
if p > q
y = m;
else
y = n;
end
But that is 5 lines of Matlab code versus just a single line in C!
In this problem we are required create the function ternaryFunc, which takes on the following parameters: data values a and b; a conditional function C, that outputs true or false, and functions T and F which are applied to a and b, depending on the value of C(a,b). We can write the function as follows:
function x = ternaryFunc(a,b,C,T,F)
if C(a,b)
x = T(a,b);
else
x = F(a,b);
end
end
-------------
NOTE: The following restrictions apply:
  • The function should only have one (1) line of code, excluding the function start line.
  • Semicolons (;) are considered end-of-line characters.
  • Use of if, while and switch statements is not allowed.
  • Regular expressions and string manipulation are not allowed.
  • Use of variable length arguments is not allowed.
-------------
HINT: As an exercise you may want to first solve Problem #44243.
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10.59% Correct | 89.41% Incorrect
Last Solution submitted on Mar 12, 2025

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