Welcome to the world of Python programming! Today, we're diving deep into a fundamental aspect of Python - Logical Operators. These operators help us combine multiple conditional statements to make our code more complex and efficient. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to create intricate logical conditions that will take your Python skills to the next level!
In Python, we have three primary Logical Operators: and
, or
, and not
. Let's see how they work:
and
: The and
operator evaluates to True
only if both conditions are True
. For example:age = 20
is_student = True
if age >= 18 and is_student:
print("You can vote!")
Here, the age
should be greater than or equal to 18, and is_student
must be True
for the message "You can vote!" to be printed.
or
: The or
operator evaluates to True
if at least one of the conditions is True
. For example:age = 17
is_student = False
if age >= 18 or is_student:
print("You can vote!")
In this case, since the age is less than 18 and the user isn't a student, the condition will still evaluate to True
, causing the message "You can vote!" to be printed. This is because being a student (or older) allows you to vote.
not
: The not
operator reverses the logic of its operand. For example:is_raining = True
if not is_raining:
print("It's sunny!")
Here, if is_raining
is set to True
, the message "It's sunny!" will not be printed.
and
: Returns True
only if both conditions are True
.or
: Returns True
if at least one of the conditions is True
.not
: Reverses the logic of its operand.Let's look at a real-world example using logical operators:
password = "123456"
if len(password) < 8 or password.isalnum() is False:
print("Password must be at least 8 characters long and contain letters and numbers!")
else:
print("Password accepted.")
Here, we're checking the length of the password and whether it contains only letters or numbers. If either condition isn't met, an error message will be displayed; otherwise, "Password accepted." will be printed.
What causes it:
print(is_student)
Error message:
NameError: name 'is_student' is not defined
Solution:
Make sure to define the variable before using it in your code.
Why it happens: Variable wasn't defined before being used.
How to prevent it: Always define variables before referencing them in your code.
What causes it:
if age >= 18 or is_student = True:
Error message:
SyntaxError: can't assign to operator
Solution:
Use an assignment statement instead of an expression in the if
condition.
Why it happens: Assignment is not allowed as part of a conditional statement.
How to prevent it: Use separate assignment and comparison statements.
What causes it:
if "apple" > "banana":
Error message:
TypeError: unorderable types: str() < str()
Solution:
Compare numeric values using >
and strings using comparison functions such as <
, >
, ==
, etc.
Why it happens: Comparing strings using numerical operators results in a TypeError since strings cannot be ordered numerically.
How to prevent it: Use the correct comparison operators for the data types you're working with.
and
, or
, and not
.With this newfound knowledge, you'll be able to create more sophisticated conditions in your Python programs! Keep learning, keep coding, and happy programming!