Python Core | VoidX Academy

5. Python Operators

Core Concept

Python Operators

An operator is a symbol that tells Python to perform a specific operation on one or more values. You use operators constantly — every time you add two numbers, compare two values, or check whether something exists in a list, you are using an operator.

Python organises its operators into seven categories. Each category serves a distinct purpose, and knowing when to reach for each one is a core programming skill.

Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators perform mathematical calculations. They work on integers and floats, and some of them behave in surprising ways that are worth understanding precisely.

a = 17
b = 5

print(a + b)   # Addition
print(a - b)   # Subtraction
print(a * b)   # Multiplication
print(a / b)   # Division (always returns a float)
print(a // b)  # Floor division (returns whole number, rounds down)
print(a % b)   # Modulus (remainder after division)
print(a ** b)  # Exponentiation (a to the power of b)

Output22 12 85 3.4 3 2 1419857

/ always returns a float — even 10 / 2 returns 5.0, not 5
// floor division truncates toward negative infinity — -7 // 2 gives -4, not -3
% modulus is invaluable for checking even/odd: if n % 2 == 0 the number is even
** exponentiation: 2 ** 10 gives 1024 — useful in algorithms and cryptography

Assignment Operators

Assignment operators assign a value to a variable. The basic one is =. The rest are shorthand compound operators that modify a variable and reassign it in one step, keeping your code concise.

score = 100      # Basic assignment

score += 10      # score = score + 10  →  110
print(score)

score -= 20      # score = score - 20  →  90
print(score)

score *= 2       # score = score * 2   →  180
print(score)

score //= 7      # score = score // 7  →  25
print(score)

score **= 2      # score = score ** 2  →  625
print(score)

score %= 100     # score = score % 100 →  25
print(score)

Output110 90 180 25 625 25

Comparison Operators

Comparison operators compare two values and always return a boolean — either True or False. They are the engine behind every decision your program makes.

x = 10
y = 20

print(x == y)   # Equal to
print(x != y)   # Not equal to
print(x > y)    # Greater than
print(x < y)    # Less than
print(x >= 10)  # Greater than or equal to
print(x <= 9)   # Less than or equal to

OutputFalse True False True True False

A very common beginner mistake is using = (assignment) when they meant == (comparison). Writing if x = 10: is a SyntaxError in Python. Always use == inside conditions.

Logical Operators

Logical operators combine multiple boolean expressions into a single result. They let you express compound conditions like "the user is logged in AND has a premium account."

is_logged_in = True
has_premium = False
age = 17

# and — True only if BOTH sides are True
print(is_logged_in and has_premium)

# or — True if AT LEAST ONE side is True
print(is_logged_in or has_premium)

# not — flips True to False and False to True
print(not is_logged_in)

# Combining them
print(is_logged_in and not has_premium)

OutputFalse True False True

and short-circuits: if the left side is False, Python does not even evaluate the right side
or short-circuits: if the left side is True, Python skips the right side
Short-circuit evaluation is not just an optimisation — it prevents crashes, e.g. checking x is not None and x.value > 0

Identity Operators

Identity operators check whether two variables point to the exact same object in memory — not just whether they hold equal values. This is a subtle but critical distinction.

a = [1, 2, 3]
b = [1, 2, 3]
c = a           # c points to the same object as a

print(a == b)   # True  — same values
print(a is b)   # False — different objects in memory
print(a is c)   # True  — c IS a (same memory address)
print(a is not b)  # True

OutputTrue False True True

💡Rule: Use == to compare values. Use is only to compare identity — most commonly when checking if x is None. Never write if x == None; always write if x is None.

Membership Operators

Membership operators check whether a value exists inside a sequence — a string, list, tuple, set, or dictionary. They return True or False.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
sentence = "The quick brown fox"

print("banana" in fruits)       # True
print("mango" in fruits)        # False
print("mango" not in fruits)    # True

print("quick" in sentence)      # True
print("slow" not in sentence)   # True

OutputTrue False True True True

Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators operate directly on the binary (bit-level) representation of integers. While you will not use them in everyday scripts, they appear frequently in systems programming, networking, cryptography, and performance-critical code.

a = 12   # Binary: 1100
b = 10   # Binary: 1010

print(a & b)    # AND  → 1000 = 8
print(a | b)    # OR   → 1110 = 14
print(a ^ b)    # XOR  → 0110 = 6
print(~a)       # NOT  → inverts all bits = -13
print(a << 1)   # Left shift  → 11000 = 24
print(a >> 1)   # Right shift → 0110  = 6

Output8 14 6 -13 24 6

Left shift (<< n) multiplies a number by 2ⁿ. Right shift (>> n) divides by 2ⁿ. These are extremely fast operations at the hardware level.

5. Python Operators

Core Concept

Python Operators

Python organises its operators into seven categories. Each category serves a distinct purpose, and knowing when to reach for each one is a core programming skill.

Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators perform mathematical calculations. They work on integers and floats, and some of them behave in surprising ways that are worth understanding precisely.

a = 17
b = 5

print(a + b)   # Addition
print(a - b)   # Subtraction
print(a * b)   # Multiplication
print(a / b)   # Division (always returns a float)
print(a // b)  # Floor division (returns whole number, rounds down)
print(a % b)   # Modulus (remainder after division)
print(a ** b)  # Exponentiation (a to the power of b)

Output22 12 85 3.4 3 2 1419857

/ always returns a float — even 10 / 2 returns 5.0, not 5
// floor division truncates toward negative infinity — -7 // 2 gives -4, not -3
% modulus is invaluable for checking even/odd: if n % 2 == 0 the number is even
** exponentiation: 2 ** 10 gives 1024 — useful in algorithms and cryptography

Assignment Operators

Assignment operators assign a value to a variable. The basic one is =. The rest are shorthand compound operators that modify a variable and reassign it in one step, keeping your code concise.

score = 100      # Basic assignment

score += 10      # score = score + 10  →  110
print(score)

score -= 20      # score = score - 20  →  90
print(score)

score *= 2       # score = score * 2   →  180
print(score)

score //= 7      # score = score // 7  →  25
print(score)

score **= 2      # score = score ** 2  →  625
print(score)

score %= 100     # score = score % 100 →  25
print(score)

Output110 90 180 25 625 25

Comparison Operators

Comparison operators compare two values and always return a boolean — either True or False. They are the engine behind every decision your program makes.

x = 10
y = 20

print(x == y)   # Equal to
print(x != y)   # Not equal to
print(x > y)    # Greater than
print(x < y)    # Less than
print(x >= 10)  # Greater than or equal to
print(x <= 9)   # Less than or equal to

OutputFalse True False True True False

A very common beginner mistake is using = (assignment) when they meant == (comparison). Writing if x = 10: is a SyntaxError in Python. Always use == inside conditions.

Logical Operators

Logical operators combine multiple boolean expressions into a single result. They let you express compound conditions like "the user is logged in AND has a premium account."

is_logged_in = True
has_premium = False
age = 17

# and — True only if BOTH sides are True
print(is_logged_in and has_premium)

# or — True if AT LEAST ONE side is True
print(is_logged_in or has_premium)

# not — flips True to False and False to True
print(not is_logged_in)

# Combining them
print(is_logged_in and not has_premium)

OutputFalse True False True

and short-circuits: if the left side is False, Python does not even evaluate the right side
or short-circuits: if the left side is True, Python skips the right side
Short-circuit evaluation is not just an optimisation — it prevents crashes, e.g. checking x is not None and x.value > 0

Identity Operators

Identity operators check whether two variables point to the exact same object in memory — not just whether they hold equal values. This is a subtle but critical distinction.

a = [1, 2, 3]
b = [1, 2, 3]
c = a           # c points to the same object as a

print(a == b)   # True  — same values
print(a is b)   # False — different objects in memory
print(a is c)   # True  — c IS a (same memory address)
print(a is not b)  # True

OutputTrue False True True

💡Rule: Use == to compare values. Use is only to compare identity — most commonly when checking if x is None. Never write if x == None; always write if x is None.

Membership Operators

Membership operators check whether a value exists inside a sequence — a string, list, tuple, set, or dictionary. They return True or False.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
sentence = "The quick brown fox"

print("banana" in fruits)       # True
print("mango" in fruits)        # False
print("mango" not in fruits)    # True

print("quick" in sentence)      # True
print("slow" not in sentence)   # True

OutputTrue False True True True

Bitwise Operators

a = 12   # Binary: 1100
b = 10   # Binary: 1010

print(a & b)    # AND  → 1000 = 8
print(a | b)    # OR   → 1110 = 14
print(a ^ b)    # XOR  → 0110 = 6
print(~a)       # NOT  → inverts all bits = -13
print(a << 1)   # Left shift  → 11000 = 24
print(a >> 1)   # Right shift → 0110  = 6

Output8 14 6 -13 24 6

Left shift (<< n) multiplies a number by 2ⁿ. Right shift (>> n) divides by 2ⁿ. These are extremely fast operations at the hardware level.

5. Python Operators

Python Operators

Arithmetic Operators

Assignment Operators

Comparison Operators

Logical Operators

Identity Operators

Membership Operators

Bitwise Operators

Knowledge Check

5. Python Operators

Python Operators

Arithmetic Operators

Assignment Operators

Comparison Operators

Logical Operators

Identity Operators

Membership Operators

Bitwise Operators

Knowledge Check