Python is a programming language that is quite popular and widely used around the world. It is widely regarded as the best programming language to learn first due to its ease of use. It's a popular programming language for building scalable online applications since it's quick to learn, easy to use, and deploy. Python is used to create YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
Python is an excellent starting point for beginners, especially for those who prefer focusing on logic over complex syntax. To master the language, it’s essential to understand the various operators in Python.
Types of Operators in Python
Operators in Python are special types of symbols that perform some operation on variables. The operands are the variables on which the operator operates.
There are 7 types of operators in Python
- Arithmetic Operators
- Comparison Operators
- Logical Operators
- Bitwise Operators
- Assignment Operators
- Identity Operator
- Membership Operator
We will see the above operators one by one.
1. Arithmetic Operators in Python
Arithmetic operators are used to perform different mathematical operations such as addition, multiplication, division, subtraction, etc.
| Operator | Meaning | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| + | Adds two symbols | a + b |
| - | Subtracts two operand | a - b |
| * | Multiplies two operand | a * b |
| / | Divides two operand | a / b |
| // | Divides two operands, then takes their floor value | a // b |
| % | Finds the remainder, then the left operand is divided by the right operand | a % b |
| ** | Finds the left operand raised to the power of right operand | a ** b |
Example:
- Python
Python
x = 3
y = 9
# addition operator
print(x + y)
# subtraction operator
print(x - y)
# division operator
print(x / y)
# floor division operator
print(x // y)
# multiplication operator
print(x * y)
# modulo operator
print(x % y)
# power operator
print(x ** y)
Output:
12
-6
0.3333333333333333
0
27
3
196832. Comparison Operators in Python
They are used to compare the value of the operands. They return either True or False based on the condition and the value of the operands.
| Operator | Meaning | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| > | Greater than operator- True if the left operand is greater than the right | a>b |
| < | Less than - True if the value of the left operand is less than the value of the right operand | a<b |
| == | Equal to - True if both operands are equal | a==b |
| != | Not equal to - True if operands are not equal | a!=b |
| >= | Greater than or equal to - True if the left operand is greater than or equal to the right | a>=b |
| <= | Less than or equal to - True if the left operand is less than or equal to the right | a<=b |
- Python
Python
x = 3
y = 9
# less than operator
print(x < y)
# greater than operator
print(x > y)
# equals to operator
print(x == y)
# not equals to operator
print(x != y)
# greater than or equal to operator
print(x >= y)
# less than or equal to operator
print(x <= y)Output:
True
False
False
True
False
True3. Logical Operators in Python
Logical operators are used to combine two conditional statements.
| Operator | Meaning | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| and | Logical AND: returns True if both the operands are true | a and b |
| or | Logical OR: returns True if either of the operands is true | a or b |
| not | Logical NOT: returns True if the operand is false | not a |
- Python
Python
# and operator
print(x and y)
# or operator
print(x or y)
# not operator
print(not x)Output:
False
True
False4. Bitwise Operators in Python
Bitwise operators operate on bits and perform operations bit by bit (bitwise).
| Operator | Meaning | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| & | Bitwise AND | a&b |
| | | Bitwise OR | a|b |
| ~ | Bitwise NOT | a~b |
| ^ | Bitwise XOR | a^b |
| >> | Bitwise right shift | a>>b |
| << | Bitwise left shift | a<<b |
- Python
Python
x = 3
y = 9
# bitwise and operator
print(x & y)
# bitwise or operator
print(x | y)
# bitwise not operator
print(~ x)
# bitwise xor operator
print(x ^ y)
# bitwise right shift operator
print(x >> y)
# bitwise left shift operator
print(x << y)Output:
1
11
-4
10
0
1536You can try it on online python compiler.
5. Assignment Operators in Python
Assignment operators are used in Python to assign values to variables.
| Operator | Meaning | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| = | It assigns the value of the expression on RHS to the left operand | a=b*c |
| += | Add the value of the expression on RHS to the left operand | a+=b |
| -= | Subtract the value of the expression on RHS to the left operand | a-=b |
| *= | Multiply the value of the expression on RHS with the left operand | a*=b |
| /= | Divide value of the expression on RHS with the left operand | a/=b |
| %= | Take the modulo of right operand with the the left operand and assign the result to the left operand | a%=b |
| //= | Floor divide value of the expression on RHS with the left operand | a//=b |
| **= | Take power value using operand and assign the result to left operand | a**=b |
| &= | Take bitwise AND value using operand and assign the result to left operand | a&=b |
| |= | Take bitwise OR value using operand and assign the result to the left operand | a|=b |
| ^= | Take bitwise XOR value using operand and assign the result to the left operand | a^=b |
| >>= | Calculate right shift using operands and assign the result to the left operand | a>>=b |
| <<= | Calculate left shift using operands and assign the result to the The floorleft operand | a<<=b |
- Python
Python
x = 3
y = 9
x += y
print(x)
x = 3
y = 9
x *= y
print(x)
x = 3
y = 9
x |= y
print(x)Output:
12
27
116. Identity Operators in Python
Identity operators are a special type of operator present in Python. They are of two kinds: "is" and "it not". They check if two values are located on the same part of memory.
| Operator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| is | Returns True if the operators are identical |
| is not | Returns True if the operators are not identical |
- Python
Python
x = 3
y = 9
print(x is y)
print(x is x)
print(x is not y)
print(x is not x)Output:
False
True
True
FalseMust Read Python List Operations
7. Membership Operators in Python
Membership operators are a special type of operator present in Python. They are of two kinds: “in” and “not in”. They are used to check if a value is present in a sequence.
| Operator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| in | Will return True if the value is present in the sequence |
| not in | Will return True if the value is not present in the sequence |
- Python
Python
x = 3
y = [1,2,3,4]
print(x in y)
print(x not in y)Output:
True
False
Frequently Asked Questions
What are special operators in Python?
Special operators in Python include identity operators (is and is not) used to compare object identities, membership operators (in and not in) used to test membership in sequences, and assignment operators (+=, -=, etc.) used for shorthand assignment operations.
When an expression contains two or more operators, then in what order are the operators evaluated?
The order of evaluations of operators is based on precedence and associativity of operators. Operator precedence determines the priorities of the operators. If two or more operators with the same precedence are present, then the order is determined by associativity.
How do operators behave with different data types?
Operators in Python behave differently based on the data types they're applied to. For example, the addition operator (+) performs arithmetic addition with numbers, concatenation with strings, and concatenation or merging with lists.
What is the use of operators in Python?
Operators in Python are used to perform operations on variables and values. They include arithmetic operators for mathematical calculations, comparison operators to compare values, logical operators for logical operations, and more, facilitating various tasks in Python programming.
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