Python Operators Overview

Introduction

Operators in Python are the constructs which are used to manipulate the value of operands. Simply put, operators are used to perform operations on variables and values. Python provides many types of operators, including arithmetic, comparison, assignment, logical, identity, membership, and bitwise operators.

Syntax

The basic syntax for operators in Python is as follows:

operand1 operator operand2

Here, operand1 and operand2 can be variables, expressions, or literals, and operator specifies the type of operation to be performed.

Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The following table lists the commonly used arithmetic operators in Python:

Operator	Description
+	Addition
-	Subtraction
*	Multiplication
/	Division
%	Modulus (remainder)
**	Exponentiation
//	Floor division

Example

a = 10
b = 3

print(a + b)    # Output: 13
print(a - b)    # Output: 7
print(a * b)    # Output: 30
print(a / b)    # Output: 3.33333333333
print(a % b)    # Output: 1
print(a ** b)   # Output: 1000
print(a // b)   # Output: 3

Comparison Operators

Comparison operators are used to compare two values and return a Boolean value (True or False). The following table lists the commonly used comparison operators in Python:

Operator	Description
==	Equal to
!=	Not equal to
>	Greater than
<	Less than
>=	Greater than or equal to
<=	Less than or equal to

Example

a = 10
b = 3

print(a == b)    # Output: False
print(a != b)    # Output: True
(a > b)     # Output: True
print(a < b)     # Output: False
print(a >= b)    # Output: True
print(a <= b)    # Output: False

Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. The following table lists the commonly used assignment operators in Python:

Operator	Example	Equivalent to
=	a = 5	a = 5
+=	a += 5	a = a + 5
-=	a -= 5	a = a - 5
*=	a *= 5	a = a * 5
/=	a /= 5	a = a / 5
%=	a %= 5	a = a % 5
**=	a **= 5	a = a ** 5
//=	a //= 5	a = a // 5

Example

a = 5
b = 3

a += b
print(a)    # Output: 8

a *= b
print(a)    # Output: 24

Logical Operators

Logical operators are used to combine two or more conditions and return a Boolean value (True or False). The following table lists the commonly used logical operators in Python:

Operator	Description
and	Returns True if both conditions are True
or	Returns True if at least one condition is True
not	Returns the opposite of the condition

Example

a = 5
b = 3
c = 7

print(a > b and b < c)        # Output: True
print(a > b or b > c)         # Output: True
print(not(a > b and b < c))   # Output: False

Identity Operators

Identity operators are used to compare the memory addresses of two objects. The following table lists the commonly used identity operators in Python:

Operator	Description
is	Returns True if both variables are the same object
is not	Returns True if both variables are not the same object

Example

a = 5
b = 5
c = [1, 2, 3]
d = [1, 2, 3]

print(a is b)           # Output: True
print(c is not d)       # Output: True

Membership Operators

Membership operators are used to test if a value or variable exists within a sequence or container. The following table lists the commonly used membership operators in Python:

Operator	Description
in	Returns True if the value/variable exists in the sequence/container
not in	Returns True if the value/variable does not exist in the sequence/container

Example

a = 'Hello, World!'
b = [1, 2, 3]

print('l' in a)         # Output: True
print(4 not in b)       # Output: True

Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators are used to perform operations on binary values. The following table lists the commonly used bitwise operators in Python:

Operator	Description
&	Bitwise AND
|	Bitwise OR
^	Bitwise XOR
~	Bitwise NOT
<<	Bitwise Left Shift
>>	Bitwise Right Shift

Example

a = 5    # 0101
b = 3    # 0011

print(a & b)    # Output: 1 (0001)
print(a | b)    # Output: 7 (0111)
print(a ^ b)    # Output: 6 (0110)
print(~a)       # Output: -6 (11111010)
print(a << 2)   # Output: 20 (10100)
print(a >> 2)   # Output: 1 (0001)

Summary

In this tutorial, we covered the various types of operators available in Python, including arithmetic, comparison, assignment, logical, identity, membership, and bitwise operators. We also provided examples to illustrate their usage. Understanding operators is essential for writing effective Python code, and we hope this tutorial has helped you gain a better understanding of them.