? Python Operators

? Quick Overview

Operators are special symbols used to perform operations on variables and values. Python has a wide range of built-in operators grouped into several categories such as arithmetic, assignment, comparison, logical, identity, membership, and bitwise operators.

? Key Concepts

Arithmetic operators perform basic math operations like addition and division.
Assignment operators assign values to variables and can combine assignment with an operation.
Comparison operators compare two values and return True or False.
Logical operators combine conditions using and, or, and not.
Identity operators check if two references point to the same object in memory.
Membership operators test if a value is present in a sequence (like a list or string).
Bitwise operators work at the bit level (0s and 1s) of integers.

? Syntax & Theory

➕ Arithmetic Operators

+ – Addition
- – Subtraction
* – Multiplication
/ – Division (returns float)
% – Modulus (remainder)
** – Exponentiation
// – Floor division (truncates decimal part)

? View Arithmetic Example

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

? Assignment Operators

=, +=, -=, *=, /=, //=, %=, **=

? View Assignment Example

x = 5
x += 3  # same as x = x + 3
print(x)  # 8

⚖️ Comparison Operators

== – equal to
!= – not equal to
> – greater than
< – less than
>= – greater than or equal to
<= – less than or equal to

? View Comparison Example

a = 10
b = 5
print(a == b)  # False
print(a > b)   # True

? Logical Operators

and – returns True if both conditions are True
or – returns True if at least one condition is True
not – inverts a boolean value

? View Logical Example

x = 5
print(x > 3 and x < 10)  # True
print(not(x > 3))        # False

? Identity Operators

is – True if both variables refer to the same object
is not – True if they do not refer to the same object

? View Identity Example

a = [1, 2]
b = a
c = [1, 2]
print(a is b)  # True
print(a is c)  # False

? Membership Operators

in – checks if a value exists in a sequence
not in – checks if a value does not exist in a sequence

? View Membership Example

mylist = [1, 2, 3]
print(2 in mylist)     # True
print(5 not in mylist) # True

? Bitwise Operators

& – bitwise AND
| – bitwise OR
^ – bitwise XOR
~ – bitwise NOT
<< – left shift
>> – right shift

? View Bitwise Example

a = 5      # 0101
b = 3      # 0011
print(a & b)  # 1
print(a | b)  # 7

? Live Output / Explanation

?️ Understanding the Results

a + b with a = 10 and b = 3 gives 13 because it adds two numbers.
a ** b calculates 10 raised to the power 3, which is 1000.
a == b returns False because 10 is not equal to 5.
a is b is True only when both variables refer to the exact same object in memory.
2 in mylist is True when 2 exists in the list [1, 2, 3].

? Tips & Best Practices

Use parentheses () to ensure the correct order of operations in complex expressions.
Remember that floor division // truncates the decimal part; it does not round.
Check types with type() when mixing integers and floats to avoid unexpected behavior.
Use == to compare values and is to compare object identity.

? Try It Yourself

Write a small calculator program using all arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /, %, **, //).
Declare two variables and test whether they point to the same object using is and is not.
Create a list of numbers and check if a given number exists using in and not in.
Combine multiple conditions using and / or and print whether the overall expression is True or False.