Python Operators

Python Operators

Operators in Python are special symbols or keywords used to perform operations on variables and values. Python has several types of operators, categorized based on the operation they perform.


1. Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators are used for mathematical operations.

Operator Description Example
+ Addition 5 + 3 = 8
- Subtraction 5 - 3 = 2
* Multiplication 5 * 3 = 15
/ Division 5 / 2 = 2.5
// Floor Division 5 // 2 = 2
% Modulus (remainder) 5 % 2 = 1
** Exponentiation 5 ** 2 = 25

Example:

  a = 10
  b = 3
  print(a + b)  # Output: 13
  print(a ** b) # Output: 1000

2. Comparison (Relational) Operators

These operators compare two values and return a Boolean (True or False).

Operator Description Example
== Equal to 5 == 5 = True
!= Not equal to 5 != 3 = True
> Greater than 5 > 3 = True
< Less than 5 < 3 = False
>= Greater than or equal to 5 >= 3 = True
<= Less than or equal to 5 <= 3 = False

Example:

  x = 7
  y = 10
  print(x > y)  # Output: False
  print(x != y) # Output: True

3. Logical Operators

Logical operators are used to combine conditional statements.

Operator Description Example
and Returns True if both conditions are True True and False = False
or Returns True if at least one condition is True True or False = True
not Reverses the logical state not True = False

Example:

  a = 5
  b = 10
  print(a > 3 and b < 20)  # Output: True
  print(not (a > b))       # Output: True

4. Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.

Operator Description Example
= Assigns value x = 5
+= Adds and assigns x += 3 (x = x + 3)
-= Subtracts and assigns x -= 3 (x = x - 3)
*= Multiplies and assigns x *= 3
/= Divides and assigns x /= 3
//= Floor divides and assigns x //= 3
%= Modulus and assigns x %= 3
**= Exponentiation and assigns x **= 3

Example:

  x = 10
  x += 5
  print(x)  # Output: 15

5. Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators operate on binary numbers.

Operator Description Example
& AND 5 & 3 = 1
| OR 5 | 3 = 7
^ XOR 5 ^ 3 = 6
~ Complement ~5 = -6
<< Left Shift 5 << 1 = 10
>> Right Shift 5 >> 1 = 2

Example:

  a = 5  # 101 in binary
  b = 3  # 011 in binary
  print(a & b)  # Output: 1
  print(a | b)  # Output: 7

6. Membership Operators

These operators check for membership in a sequence (like strings, lists, tuples).

Operator Description Example
in Returns True if value exists in sequence 'a' in 'apple' = True
not in Returns True if value does not exist in sequence 'b' not in 'apple' = True

Example:

  fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
  print("banana" in fruits)  # Output: True
  print("grape" not in fruits)  # Output: True

7. Identity Operators

Identity operators compare the memory locations of two objects.

Operator Description Example
is Returns True if objects are identical (same memory location) a is b
is not Returns True if objects are not identical a is not b

Example:

  x = [1, 2, 3]
  y = x
  z = [1, 2, 3]
  print(x is y)  # Output: True
  print(x is z)  # Output: False

8. Special Operators

Ternary Operator (Conditional Expression)

Python allows conditional expressions using a shorthand form.

Example:

  a, b = 5, 10
  result = "A is greater" if a > b else "B is greater"
  print(result)  # Output: B is greater

Summary:

Python operators allow you to perform various tasks, from arithmetic to logical comparisons. Understanding these operators is essential for writing efficient and effective Python code.

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