a cleaner solution to the problem of creating a calculator from CS50

calculator.c

/* Write a program that acts as a simple calculator.The program shuld 
alow the user to input data in form number operator number.
The following operators shuld pe recognized: +, -, *, /, S, E, .
The S operator tells the program to set the acumulator to the typed in
number. The E operator tells the program that execution is to end.
The artmethic operatioons are performed on the contenst of the acumulator with the number
that was keyed in accting as a smaple operand

program output
10S set Acumulator to 10
= 10.0000
2/ divide by2
= 5.0000*/
 
#include <stdio.h>
 
int main(void)
{
    float acc, operand;
    char operator = (char) 0;// because for some reason c doesn't like '' as an empty string initializator

    acc      = 0; 
    operand  = 0;

    printf("start computing\n");
    while( operator != 'E')
    {
        if( operator == 'S'){
            acc = operand;
        } else if ( operator == '+') {
            acc = acc + operand;
        } else if ( operator == '-') {
            acc = acc - operand;
        }
        printf ("[debug] state after the if conditions: acc=%f, operator=%c, operand=%f\n", acc, operator, operand);
        printf(" = %f\n", acc);
        scanf("%f %c", &operand, &operator);
        printf ("[debug] state after data read: acc=%f, operator=%c, operand=%f\n", acc, operator, operand);
    }
    
    return 0;
    
}