What is the purpose of a relational operator in programming?

The purpose of a relational operator in programming is to compare two values or expressions, effectively used within conditional statements. These operators, which include symbols like <, >, <=, >=, ==, and !=, evaluate the relationship between the operands they compare and return a boolean result (true or false). This capability is crucial for controlling the flow of execution in a program—allowing decisions to be made based on whether certain conditions are met.

For example, in an 'if' statement, a relational operator can determine if a variable is greater than another variable, thus controlling whether a specific block of code is executed. This functionality allows programmers to implement logic, manage iterations, and create dynamic responses to different scenarios during runtime, making relational operators essential for decision-making within programming constructs.