Table of contents
1.
Types of Operators in Python
1.1.
1. Arithmetic Operators in Python
1.2.
Python
1.3.
2. Comparison Operators in Python
1.4.
Python
1.5.
3. Logical Operators in Python
1.6.
Python
1.7.
4. Bitwise Operators in Python
1.8.
Python
1.9.
5. Assignment Operators in Python
1.10.
Python
1.11.
6. Identity Operators in Python
1.12.
Python
1.13.
7. Membership Operators in Python
1.14.
Python
2.
Frequently Asked Questions
2.1.
What are special operators in Python?
2.2.
When an expression contains two or more operators, then in what order are the operators evaluated?
2.3.
How do operators behave with different data types?
2.4.
What is the use of operators in Python?
3.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Jul 30, 2024
Easy

Python Operators

Author APURV RATHORE
0 upvote
Career growth poll
Do you think IIT Guwahati certified course can help you in your career?

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 Operators

Beginners will find Python to be an excellent place to start. Python is a perfect choice if you want to focus more on logic rather than syntax. 

You must understand the different types of Python operators for learning Python, and this blog focuses on the same. 

Also See, Floor Division in Python,  Check out this article - Swapcase 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

  1. Arithmetic Operators
  2. Comparison Operators
  3. Logical Operators
  4. Bitwise Operators
  5. Assignment Operators
  6. Identity Operator
  7. Membership Operator 

We will see the above operators one by one. 

Also see, Fibonacci Series in Python and Python Operator Precedence

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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

12
-6
0.3333333333333333
0
27
3
19683

2. 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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

True
False
False
True
False
True

3. 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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

False
True
False

4. 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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

1
11
-4
10
0
1536

You 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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

12
27
11

6. 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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

False
True
True
False

Must 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)
You can also try this code with Online Python Compiler
Run Code

Output:

True
False

Also see,  Convert String to List Python

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.

Conclusion

In this blog, we understood Python Operators. Python operators are powerful tools that facilitate a wide range of operations in Python programming. From arithmetic and comparison operations to logical and special operations, operators offer flexibility and efficiency in manipulating data and controlling program flow.

To learn more about Micro Operations, refer to Arithmetic Micro Operations.

Read about Bitwise Operators in C here.

If you want to become proficient in Python programming, I suggest you take the Python Course, which will teach Python basics with Data Structures and Algorithms. 

Live masterclass