Python Programming

Python Operators Equal To, Greater Than, Less Than, Not Equal To

Python operators or Chain comparison:

Unlike the other programming languages, in Python you can compare various items using various python operators with chain comparison. For example

x > y > z

Is just a short form of:

x > y and y > z

This will evaluate to true only if both comparisons are true.

The general form is

a OP b OP c OP d …

Where OP is the python operator represents one of the various comparison operations you can use, and the letters represent arbitrarily

valid expressions.

“Note that 0 != 1 != 0 evaluates to True, even though 0 != 0 is False. Unlike the common mathematical

notation in which x != y != z means that x, y and z have contrasting values. Chaining == operations has

the natural meaning in most cases, since equality is generally transitive.”

Style

There is no abstract limit on how many items and python operators you use as long you have proper syntax:

1 > -1 < 2 > 0.5 < 100 != 24

The above returns true if each relation returns true. However, using convoluted chaining is not a good style. A good chaining will be “directional”, not more complicated than

1 > x > -4 > y != 8

Side effects

As soon as one comparison returns False, the expression evaluates immediately to False, skipping all remaining comparisons.

Note that the expression exp in a > exp > b will be calculated only once, whereas in the case of

a > exp and exp > b

exp will be computed over again if a > exp is true.

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Python Operators difference between “is” and “==”:

A common pitfall is confusing the equality python operators is and ==.

a == b compares the value of a and b.

a is b will compare the identities of a and b.

To illustrate:

a = 'Python is fun!'
b = 'Python is fun!'
a == b # returns True
a is b # returns False
a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
b = a # b references a
a == b # True
a is b # True
b = a[:] # b now references a copy of a
a == b # True
a is b # False [!!]

Basically, is can be thought of as shorthand for id(a) == id(b).



before this, there are quirks of the run-time environment that further complicate things. Short strings and small integers will return True when related with is, due to the Python machine attempting to use less memory for identical objects.

a = 'short'
b = 'short'
c = 5
d = 5
a is b # True
c is d # True

But longer strings and larger integers will be stored separately.

a = 'not so short'

b = 'not so short'

c = 1000

d = 1000

a is b # False

c is d # False

You should use is to test for None:

if myvar is not None:

not None

pass

if myvar is None:

None

pass

The use of is is to test for a “sentinel” (i.e. a unique object).

sentinel = object()

def myfunc(var=sentinel):

if var is sentinel:

value wasn’t provided

pass

else:

value was provided

Pass


Python Operators Greater than or less than:

x > y

x < y

These python operators correlated two types of values, they’re the less than and greater than operators. For numbers this simply compares the numerical values to see which is larger:

12 > 4

# True

12 < 4

# False

1 < 4

# True

For strings, they will compare lexicographically, which is similar to alphabetical order but not truly the same.

"alpha" < "beta"

# True

"gamma" > "beta"

# True

"gamma" < "OMEGA"

# False

In these connections, lowercase letters are considered ‘greater than’ uppercase, which is why “gamma” < “OMEGA” is false. If they were all uppercase it would return the normal alphabetical ordering result:

“GAMMA” < “OMEGA”

True

Each type defines it’s calculation with the < and > operators differently, so you should investigate what the operators means with a given type before using it.

Python Operators Not equal to != :

x != y

This python operator returns True if x and y are not equal and if equals its returns False.

12 != 1

# True

12 != '12'

# True

'12' != '12'

# False


Python Operators Equal Equal to:

x == y

This python operators evaluates if x and y are the same value and returns the result as a boolean value. Generally both

the value and type must be matched, so the int 12 is not the same as the string ’12’.

12 == 12

# True

12 == 1

# False

'12' == '12'

# True

'spam' == 'spam'

# True

'spam' == 'spam '

# False

'12' == 12

# False

Note that each type has to define a function that will be used to calculate if two values are the same. For builtin types these functions behave as you’d hope, and just calculate things based on being the same value. However procedure types could define equality testing as whatever they’d like, including always returning True or always returning False.

python Comparing object operators:

In order to compare the equality of procedure classes, you can override == and != by defining eq and ne

methods. You can also override lt (<), le (<=), gt (>), and ge (>). Note that you only need to

override two comparison approach, and Python can handle the rest (== is the same as not < and not >, etc.)

class Foo(object):

def __init__(self, item):

self.my_item = item

def __eq__(self, other):

return self.my_item == other.my_item

a = Foo(5)

b = Foo(5)

a == b # True

a != b # False

a is b # False

Note that this simple comparison consider that other (the object being compared to) is the same object type.



Comparing to another type will throw an error:

class Bar(object):

def __init__(self, item):

self.other_item = item

def __eq__(self, other):

return self.other_item == other.other_item

def __ne__(self, other):

return self.other_item != other.other_item

c = Bar(5)

a == c # throws AttributeError: 'Foo' object has no attribute 'other_item'

Checking isinstance() or similar will help prevent this (if desired).

Engr Fahad

My name is Shahzada Fahad and I am an Electrical Engineer. I have been doing Job in UAE as a site engineer in an Electrical Construction Company. Currently, I am running my own YouTube channel "Electronic Clinic", and managing this Website. My Hobbies are * Watching Movies * Music * Martial Arts * Photography * Travelling * Make Sketches and so on...

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