Operators and expressions

Operators and Expressions
In Python, operators are special symbols that perform certain operations on one or more operands (values or variables). These operators are used to manipulate data, perform calculations, and make comparisons. Understanding operators and how to use them is crucial in writing efficient and effective Python code.

Arithmetic Operators
The most commonly used operators are arithmetic operators, which perform basic mathematical operations on operands. Python supports the following arithmetic operators:

Addition (+): The addition operator adds two operands together.
Subtraction (-): The subtraction operator subtracts the second operand from the first.
Multiplication (*): The multiplication operator multiplies two operands.
Division (/): The division operator divides the first operand by the second.
Modulus (%): The modulus operator returns the remainder of the division of the first operand by the second.
Exponentiation (**): The exponentiation operator raises the first operand to the power of the second.
Floor Division (//): The floor division operator returns the quotient of the division, rounded down to the nearest integer.
For example, if you have two variables, x = 10 and y = 3, the following expressions demonstrate the use of arithmetic operators:

x + y # Output: 13
x – y # Output: 7
x * y # Output: 30
x / y # Output: 3.3333333333333335
x % y # Output: 1
x ** y # Output: 1000
x // y # Output: 3
Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. They combine the assignment of a value with an arithmetic operation. The most commonly used assignment operator is the equal sign (=).

Here’s an example:

x = 10 # assigns the value 10 to the variable x
Assignment operators can also be combined with arithmetic operators for shorthand notation. For instance, the following expression:

x += y
is equivalent to:

x = x + y
Other assignment operators include -=, *=, /=, %=, and so on, which perform the appropriate arithmetic operation and assign the result back to the variable.

Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare values or variables. They return a Boolean value, either True or False, depending on the comparison’s result. Python provides the following comparison operators:

Equal to (==): Checks if two operands are equal.
Not equal to (!=): Checks if two operands are not equal.
Greater than (>): Checks if the left operand is greater than the right operand.
Less than ( Checks if the left operand is less than the right operand.
Greater than or equal to (>=): Checks if the left operand is greater than or equal to the right operand.
Less than or equal to ( Checks if the left operand is less than or equal to the right operand.
For example:

x = 5
y = 3

x == y # Output: False
x != y # Output: True
x > y # Output: True
x < y # Output: False x >= y # Output: True
x
Comparison operators are frequently used in conditional statements and loops to control the flow of program execution.

Understanding operators and their syntax is fundamental to writing Python code. Familiarize yourself with the various operators and practice using them in different situations to enhance your programming skills.