Python Operators: A Comprehensive Guide
Explore the different types of operators in Python, including arithmetic, assignment, comparison, logical, identity, membership, and bitwise operators. Learn how to perform operations on variables and values with practical examples. This guide covers essential operator usage and syntax for effective programming in Python.
Python Operators
Operators are used to perform operations on variables and values.
In the example below, we use the + operator to add together two values:
Example
print(7 + 8)Python divides the operators into the following groups:
- Arithmetic operators
- Assignment operators
- Comparison operators
- Logical operators
- Identity operators
- Membership operators
- Bitwise operators
Python Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used with numeric values to perform common mathematical operations:
| Operator | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + | Addition | x + y |
| - | Subtraction | x - y |
| * | Multiplication | x * y |
| / | Division | x / y |
| % | Modulus | x % y |
| ** | Exponentiation | x ** y |
| // | Floor division | x // y |
Python Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables:
| Operator | Example | Same As |
|---|---|---|
| = | x = 4 | x = 4 |
| += | x += 2 | x = x + 2 |
| -= | x -= 2 | x = x - 2 |
| *= | x *= 2 | x = x * 2 |
| /= | x /= 2 | x = x / 2 |
| %= | x %= 2 | x = x % 2 |
| //= | x //= 2 | x = x // 2 |
| **= | x **= 2 | x = x ** 2 |
| &= | x &= 2 | x = x & 2 |
| |= | x |= 2 | x = x | 2 |
| ^= | x ^= 2 | x = x ^ 2 |
| >>= | x >>= 2 | x = x >> 2 |
| <<= | x <<= 2 | x = x << 2 |
| := | print(x := 2) | x = 2; print(x) |
Python Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare two values:
| Operator | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| == | Equal | x == y |
| != | Not equal | x != y |
| > | Greater than | x > y |
| < | Less than | x < y |
| >= | Greater than or equal to | x >= y |
| <= | Less than or equal to | x <= y |
Python Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to combine conditional statements:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | Returns True if both statements are true | x < 5 and x < 8 |
| or | Returns True if one of the statements is true | x < 5 or x < 4 |
| not | Reverse the result, returns False if the result is true | not(x < 5 and x < 8) |
Python Identity Operators
Identity operators are used to compare the objects, not if they are equal, but if they are actually the same object, with the same memory location:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| is | Returns True if both variables are the same object | x is y |
| is not | Returns True if both variables are not the same object | x is not y |
Python Membership Operators
Membership operators are used to test if a sequence is presented in an object:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | Returns True if a sequence with the specified value is present in the object | x in y |
| not in | Returns True if a sequence with the specified value is not present in the object | x not in y |
Python Bitwise Operators
Bitwise operators are used to compare (binary) numbers:
| Operator | Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| & | AND | Sets each bit to 1 if both bits are 1 | x & y |
| | | OR | Sets each bit to 1 if one of two bits is 1 | x | y |
| ^ | XOR | Sets each bit to 1 if only one of two bits is 1 | x ^ y |
| ~ | NOT | Inverts all the bits | ~x |
| << | Zero fill left shift | Shift left by pushing zeros in from the right and let the leftmost bits fall off | x << 2 |
| >> | Signed right shift | Shift right by pushing copies of the leftmost bit in from the left, and let the rightmost bits fall off | x >> 2 |
Operator Precedence
Operator precedence describes the order in which operations are performed.
Example
Parentheses have the highest precedence, meaning that expressions inside parentheses must be evaluated first:
print((5 + 4) - (3 + 2))Example
Multiplication * has higher precedence than addition +, so multiplications are evaluated before additions:
print(100 + 4 * 3)The precedence order is described in the table below, starting with the highest precedence at the top:
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| () | Parentheses |
| ** | Exponentiation |
| +x -x ~x | Unary plus, unary minus, and bitwise NOT |
| * / // % | Multiplication, division, floor division, and modulus |
| + - | Addition and subtraction |
| << >> | Bitwise left and right shifts |
| & | Bitwise AND |
| ^ | Bitwise XOR |
| | | Bitwise OR |
| == != > >= < <= is is not in not in | Comparisons, identity, and membership operators |
| not | Logical NOT |
| and | AND |
| or | OR |
If two operators have the same precedence, the expression is evaluated from left to right.
Example
Addition + and subtraction - have the same precedence, so we evaluate the expression from left to right:
print(6 + 3 - 2 + 1)