Operators are symbols used to perform operations on variables and values. Python provides several types of operators, including Assignment, arithmetic, Relational, Logical, Bitwise, and Membership operators.
1. Assignment Operators (=)
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. Python also provides shorthand assignment operators for performing operations and assignment simultaneously.
| Operator | Example | Equivalent To | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
= |
a = 10 |
a = 10 |
Assigns value to variable |
+= |
a += 5 |
a = a + 5 |
Adds and assigns |
-= |
a -= 5 |
a = a - 5 |
Subtracts and assigns |
*= |
a *= 2 |
a = a * 2 |
Multiplies and assigns |
/= |
a /= 2 |
a = a / 2 |
Divides and assigns |
//= |
a //= 3 |
a = a // 3 |
Floor division and assigns |
%= |
a %= 3 |
a = a % 3 |
Modulus and assigns |
**= |
a **= 2 |
a = a ** 2 |
Exponentiation and assigns |
2. Unary Operators
Unary operators work on a single operand.
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
+ |
+a |
Represents positive value (default) |
- |
-a |
Negates the value |
~ |
~a |
Bitwise NOT (inverts bits) |
Example:
a = 5
print(-a) # Output: -5
print(~a) # Output: -6 (inverts bits)
3. Binary Operators
Binary operators work on two operands. They include arithmetic, relational, logical, and bitwise operators.
Example:
x = 10
y = 5
print(x + y) # Addition (Binary Operator)
print(x > y) # Relational (Binary Operator)
4. Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used for mathematical calculations.
| Operator | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
+ |
a + b |
Addition |
- |
a - b |
Subtraction |
* |
a * b |
Multiplication |
/ |
a / b |
Division (float) |
// |
a // b |
Floor division (removes decimal part) |
% |
a % b |
Modulus (remainder) |
** |
a ** b |
Exponentiation (power) |
Example:
x = 10
y = 3
print(x / y) # Output: 3.3333
print(x // y) # Output: 3
print(x ** y) # Output: 1000 (10^3)
5. Relational (Comparison) Operators
Relational operators compare values and return True or False.
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
== |
a == b |
Equal to |
!= |
a != b |
Not equal to |
> |
a > b |
Greater than |
< |
a < b |
Less than |
>= |
a >= b |
Greater than or equal to |
<= |
a <= b |
Less than or equal to |
Example:
a = 10
b = 20
print(a == b) # False
print(a < b) # True
6. Logical Operators
Logical operators are used to combine multiple conditions.
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
and |
a > 5 and b < 10 |
Returns True if both conditions are True |
or |
a > 5 or b < 10 |
Returns True if at least one condition is True |
not |
not(a > b) |
Reverses the condition (True → False and vice versa) |
Example:
a = 5
b = 10
print(a > 2 and b < 15) # True
print(a > 10 or b < 15) # True
print(not(a > 10)) # True
7. Bitwise Operators
Bitwise operators work on binary numbers (bitwise operations).
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
& |
a & b |
Bitwise AND |
| ` | ` | `a |
^ |
a ^ b |
Bitwise XOR |
~ |
~a |
Bitwise NOT |
<< |
a << 2 |
Left shift (multiply by 2^n) |
>> |
a >> 2 |
Right shift (divide by 2^n) |
Example:
a = 5 # 101 in binary
b = 3 # 011 in binary
print(a & b) # Output: 1 (001 in binary)
print(a | b) # Output: 7 (111 in binary)
print(a ^ b) # Output: 6 (110 in binary)
print(a << 1) # Output: 10 (Shifts left by 1 bit)
print(a >> 1) # Output: 2 (Shifts right by 1 bit)
8. Membership Operators
Membership operators check whether a value exists in a sequence (like a list, tuple, or string).
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
in |
x in list |
Returns True if x exists in the list |
not in |
x not in list |
Returns True if x does not exist in the list |
Example:
fruits = [“apple”, “banana”, “cherry”]
print(“apple” in fruits) # True
print(“grape” not in fruits) # True