Boolean Variables, Operators, and Conditional Statements in Python

Boolean logic is at the heart of Python and most programming languages. It allows programmers to make comparisons, execute conditional statements, and implement common algorithms. The “greater than” (>) and “equals to” (==) symbols are examples of Python comparison operators, while and and or are some of Python’s logical operators. This tutorial explains Boolean logic and expressions and discusses how to use Python’s Boolean operators.

An Introduction To Boolean Logic and Boolean Values

A Boolean data type can have one of two Boolean values, “true” or “false”. These values are sometimes represented by the binary digits “1” and “0”. “True” is equivalent to “1” or “on”, while “False” aligns with “0” and “off”. Boolean values are named after the mathematician George Boole, who pioneered the system of logical algebra. Because it is named after a person, the word “Boolean” is always capitalized.

Wherever it appears as an adjective, Boolean indicates a binary true/false attribute. The item being discussed is either on or off, not both, and not some other value. So a Boolean circuit has binary logic gates, and in Boolean algebra, the variables are restricted to the two truth values. In terms of programming, the most useful Boolean concept is the Boolean expression. A Boolean expression results in a Boolean value when it is evaluated. It can be composed of Boolean values, operators, or functions. Most people understand this intuitively. 2 + 2 = 4 is true, while 2 + 2 = 5 is false. Boolean logic and Boolean expressions are more rigorous expansions of this concept.

Python uses a built-in data type named bool to represent Boolean values. The bool type inherits its properties from the int type. Through an odd quirk of language design, bool is not a built-in value and can be redefined, although this is a very bad idea. A Python bool variable has two possible values, True and False. In Python 3, these values actually are Python keywords and are capitalized. Therefore, they cannot be used as variables and cannot be assigned different values. True and False can be assigned to any variable, which then becomes a bool. Python expands this concept to numerical values and other data types. A non-zero integer is True, while 0 evaluates to False.

Before You Begin

1. If you have not already done so, create a Linode account and Compute Instance. See our Getting Started with Linode and Creating a Compute Instance guides.

2. Follow our Setting Up and Securing a Compute Instance guide to update your system. You may also wish to set the timezone, configure your hostname, create a limited user account, and harden SSH access.

3. Ensure Python is properly installed on the Linode and you can launch and use the Python programming environment. To run Python on Ubuntu, use the command python3. For information on how to use Python, see our guide on How to Install Python 3 on Ubuntu 20.04.

Note

The steps in this guide are written for non-root users. Commands that require elevated privileges are prefixed with sudo. If you are not familiar with the sudo command, see the Linux Users and Groups guide.

Python Boolean Operators

Python supplies a complete selection of Boolean operators for use in Boolean expressions. These operators allow an expression to be evaluated as either True or False, permitting the result to be used in conditional statements and other control structures. There are two main types of Boolean operators in Python.

• Comparison Operators: Python comparison operators compare two values of the same type and return a Boolean value of True or False.
• Logical Operators: Python logical operators combine the results of other expressions and return True or False.

In addition to the comparison and logical operators, Python has a bool type. Any variable assigned the value of True or False has a type of bool. It is possible to confirm the type of a variable using the built-in type function.

a = True
type(a)

<class 'bool'>

If “True” is enclosed in quotes, then it is a string containing the character sequence “True”.

a = "True"
type(a)

<class 'str'>

Variables can be converted to a different type when they are assigned a new value. This is known as implicit type conversion.

a = "True"
type(a)

<class 'str'>

a = True
type(a)

<class 'bool'>

The Python bool function lets programmers evaluate any variable, expression, or object as a Boolean value. This function always returns True or False. Python uses its own set of rules to determine the truth value of a variable. Some of the less obvious rules guiding whether something is True or False are included in the list below. Consult the Python documentation for the bool function for more information.

• A positive or negative integer or real number of any size is always True. The values 0 and 0.0 are False.
• Rounding errors resulting from mathematical operations on real numbers can cause confusing or misleading results. Even if the variable “should” be zero, rounding operations could mean it holds a very small non-zero value. This would evaluate as True.
• An empty string, list, set, or dictionary evaluates to False. Non-empty strings or data structures are True.
• The special Python value None is False.
• The special numbers inf, -inf, and NaN (for undefined or non-representable values) are all True.
• A function is always True.

A non-zero integer is always True.

a = 1
print(bool(a))

True

An integer with a value of 0 is False.

b = 0
print(bool(b))

False

Comparison Operators in Python

Python comparison operators compare two items, but they can only be used on items that are comparable. For instance, two integers can be compared for equality, as can two strings. But two items with different types, such as an integer and a string, cannot be compared. If such comparisons are attempted, an error similar to TypeError: '<' not supported between instances of 'int' and 'str' is returned. The items being compared can be either constants or variables.

There are several different comparison operators, which typically return Boolean values. Not all operators make sense for all types. The most common of these operators include:

• ==: The “equal to” operator.
• !=: The “not equal to” operator.
• <: The “less than” operator.
• >: The “greater than” operator.
• <=: The “less than or equal to” operator.
• >=: The “greater than or equal to” operator.

Some of these operators are mirror images to one another and some are a convenient shorthand for an operation that would otherwise require two comparisons.

The Equal To and Not Equal To Operators in Python

The == operator tests for equality. x == y returns True if the values of x and y are equal or if they refer to the same object. The equality operator can be used on most types. Two strings are equal if they both contain the same sequence of characters in the same order. Two built-in collections, such as lists, are equal if they have the same type, the same length, and each corresponding element is equal. The typing restriction means a list can never be equal to a set, even if both collections contain the exact same elements.

The != operator is used to determine whether two elements are unequal. x != y returns True if x and y have different values or reference different objects. Lists and Sets are different if they have different types or lengths, or if the corresponding elements at any position are different. All equality operators are symmetric. If x == y is True, then y == x is also True. The same relationship holds for x != y.

For more information, see the Python Documentation on Value Comparisons.

The example below demonstrates how the == operator can be used to test a and b for equality. Because the two items are indeed equal, Python returns True.

Note

Throughout these examples, do not mix up the assignment operator = with the equality operator ==. Substituting the = operator in place of the == leads to strange and misleading bugs.

a = 4
b = 4
print(a == b)

True

If the same two variables are tested for inequality, Python returns a Boolean value of False.

print(a != b)

False

The two items being compared do not have to be variables. A variable can be compared to a hard-coded constant. In this case, a is equal to 4, so the comparison is False.

print(a == 5)

False

Strings must be identical in case and length to be considered equal in Python. The string Linode is not the same as linode.

a = "Linode"
b = "linode"
c = "linode"
print(a == b)

False

print(b == c)

True

These operators can also test collections for equivalence. In this case, list1 has the same values as list3, but is different from list2, which has a different length. So list1 == list3 returns True, but list1 == list2 is False.

list1 = [1, 2, 3]
list2 = [1, 2, 3, 4]
list3 = [1, 2, 3]
print(list1 == list3)

True

print(list1 == list2)

False

The Less Than and Greater Than Operators in Python

The < operator stands for “Less Than”. The comparison a < b returns True only in the case where a is less than b. Likewise, the “Greater Than” comparison is symbolized by the > operator. a > b returns True if the first item has a larger value. These two comparison operators are symmetric. In other words, a < b implies b > a.

When these operators are used on strings, the strings are evaluated based on the ASCII values of the letters. This maps to alphabetical order within either upper or lower case. However, capital letters have smaller ASCII values than their lower case counterparts. So a string beginning with a capital letter is always “less than” a lower case one.

Not all types and objects can be compared using these operators. In some other cases, the comparisons might be non-intuitive. For example, when these operators are used to compare lists, they make a decision based on the first unequal list elements. This might not be the behavior you want.

To test whether a is greater than b, use the > operator.

a = 5
b = 3
print(a > b)

True

Use the < comparison to determine whether a is less than b.

a = 5
b = 3
print(a < b)

False

The same comparisons can be done on strings. The string linode is considered to be less than system because “l” comes before “s” in the alphabet. Linode is also less than System, but linode is not less than System because capitalized characters have a lower value.

a = "linode"
b = "system"
c = "Linode"
d = "System"
print(a < b)

True

print(c < d)

True

print(a < d)

False

The Less Than or Equal To and Greater Than or Equal To Operators in Python

The <= and >= operators add a test for equality to the < and > operators. a <= b is True if either a < b or a == b is True. Meanwhile, if either a > b or a == b is True, then a >= b is also True. The same rules used to measure equality or make comparisons with the different types apply here as well.

The following example explains how the <= comparison works in practice. The >= operator works similarly.

a = 5
b = 3
print(a <= b)

False

a = 3
print(a <= b)

True

Logical Operators in Python

Python’s logical operators are used to evaluate Boolean expressions. They perform simple Boolean arithmetic on one or two inputs and return either True or False. Logical operators can be chained together to form even longer expressions.

The logic of each operator can be demonstrated using a Truth Table. The truth table for a given operation lists the output for each possible combination of inputs. It is used to analyze Boolean functions in an easy-to-understand format. Boolean expressions can be created in Python from the three main logical operators.

• and: This is the Python “logical and” operator. It returns True if both expressions are True and False otherwise.
• or: The Python “logical or” operator returns True if either expression is True and False otherwise.
• not: Python’s “logical not” operator returns True only if the expression it is evaluating is False.

The and Operator in Python

The and operator verifies whether both expressions are True. The expression a and b evaluate to True only in the case where a is True and b is also True, and False otherwise. a and b are usually both expressions as well. They are sometimes known as inner expressions. The inner expressions are evaluated first and become the inputs to the main logical expression.

A simple truth table can express how a and b are calculated given different values of a and b. The table below displays the result of a and b for each of the four possible combinations.

The and operator is frequently used between two comparison operators, but a and b can take the form of any expression that evaluates to a Boolean value. Here is an example illustrating how the and operator is used. Because a is equal to b and c is equal to d, the result of the and operation is True. After the value of b changes, it is no longer equal to a. a == b is now False, and therefore the result of the whole and operation is False.

a = 3
b = 3
c = 4
d = 4
print((a == b) and (c == d))

True

b = 4
print((a == b) and (c == d))

False

The Or Operator in Python

For the result of an or operator to be True, one or both of the expressions must be True. The or operator uses “inclusive or” logic. Therefore a or b is True if a is True, b is True, or if both a and b are True. If a and b are both determined to be False, then a or b is False too.

The following truth table demonstrates how the result of the or operation changes with different inputs.

Note

Python does not have an “exclusive or” operator, also known as a “xor”. To satisfy an “exclusive or” test, one but not both of the arguments must be True. Certain Python libraries provide this function. A “xor” function can also be derived from the other operators.

a = 3
b = 3
c = 4
d = 5
print((a == b) or (c == d))

True

b = 4
print((a == b) or (c == d))

False

The not Operator in Python

The not operator is the easiest operator to understand. It accepts one Boolean expression and returns the opposite Boolean value. The expression not a is True if a is False, and False if a is True. The truth table for not is extremely simple.

The following examples demonstrate how to use the not operator. They take advantage of the fact that a non-zero integer evaluates to True, while zero is False. When a is 3, not a is False. But when a is set to 0, not a becomes True.

a = 3
print(not(a))

False

a = 0
print(not(a))

True

Note

Sometimes Python logical operators can return a result without evaluating both inputs. This is known as short-circuiting. For instance, when evaluating an or expression, Python can return True as soon as any expression evaluates to True. This guarantees the or expression is True no matter what the second argument is. This optimization speeds up execution. Unfortunately, it can also lead to subtle bugs, such as crashes that only occur when the second clause is evaluated.

Do not confuse the Python logical operators with the bitwise operators. These operators perform logical operations on the individual bits of two numbers or two-bit fields. The “bitwise and” operator is &. It evaluates to 1 if both bits are set to 1. They are often used to mask out, or ignore certain values. Here is a list of all of the bitwise operators.

• &: Bitwise and.
• |: Bitwise or.
• ^: Bitwise xor. It evaluates to True if exactly one of the two bits is True.
• ~: Bitwise not. This operator is used to negate each bit for the purpose of “bit flipping”.

There are a couple of other logical operators that are useful in certain circumstances. The is operator is used to confirm whether two entities refer to the same object. x is y is True if x and y are the same object. The in operator verifies membership and is typically used with collections such as Lists and Sets. If x in y is True, it means x is one of the entries in the list y.

Using Boolean Operators in Conditional Statements

The most important role for Boolean operators is for their use in conditional statements. When a Boolean expression evaluates to True or False, it can be used to control the flow of a program. Boolean expressions are used in if and else statements as well as in loops.

The conditional statement typically precedes a clause, which is a block of one or more lines of code. The Boolean value of the conditional statement determines the clause to be executed if any. For more information on the various conditional statements, see the Python documentation for compound statements.

If or Else in Python

The if and else statements are common place in any program. If the result of the conditional statement following the if keyword is True, the associated code block is entered and executed. The if conditional can be followed by one or more elif statements, which stands for “else if”. Each elif conditional is tested in turn until one evaluates to True. The corresponding elif code block is then executed. As soon as Python reaches an else statement, it automatically executes the else code block. If all of the if and elif statements are False and there is no else statement, nothing is executed. Program control skips over to the next line of code.

The example below demonstrates how the if statement works with a conditional. The if statement evaluates the conditional operator humidity > 80. In this case, humidity is greater than 80, so the conditional is True. Control passes to the indented code block and the line It is a humid day is printed.

humidity = 85
if humidity > 80:
... print("It is a humid day")

It is a humid day

A more complicated series of conditional statements are shown in the py_temp.py file below. A for loop processes a list of three humidity readings. The if conditional statement subsequently processes each value. If the reading is greater than 80, it satisfies the if statement, and Python prints This humidity is too high. If not, the elif statement tests whether humidity is under 60. If it is, Python prints This humidity is too low. In all other cases, control passes to the else statement and Python prints the line This humidity is just right.

The following example demonstrates how the program works using a list of [50, 70, 90]. The first value satisfies the elif conditional, while the final value passes the if conditional. The second value is False for both tests, so control passes to the else clause.

File: py_temp.py

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

humidities = [50, 70, 90] for humidity in humidities: if humidity > 80: print(humidity, ": This humidity is too high") elif humidity < 60: print(humidity, ": This humidity is too low") else: print(humidity, ": This humidity is just right")

50 : This humidity is too low
70 : This humidity is just right
90 : This humidity is too high

Although these examples use the if statement, other control structures can also use conditional statements. For example, the while (condition) statement continues to loop through the subsequent block of code as long as condition continues to evaluate to True.

A Summary of Python’s Boolean Operators and Conditionals

Boolean expressions and operators are indispensable when writing a Python program. The two Boolean values in Python are True and False, and a Python Boolean expression always evaluates one of those two values. Python’s bool operator can be used to determine the Boolean value of an expression. Python maintains certain rules for determining the truth of an expression. For example, a non-zero integer is always True.

Python provides a full selection of comparison and logical operators. Python’s comparison operators compare two values. They include the equality ==, inequality !=, greater than >, greater or equal to >=, less than <, and less than or equal to <= operators. Python logical operators perform Boolean logic on Boolean values. The and operator returns True only in the case where both expressions are also True. However, the or operator returns only False when both expressions are False. The not operator inverts the value of its input. Boolean operators are frequently used as input for conditional statements like if, elif, and while.

For more information about Boolean values and expressions in Python, see the Python Language Reference.

More Information

You may wish to consult the following resources for additional information on this topic. While these are provided in the hope that they will be useful, please note that we cannot vouch for the accuracy or timeliness of externally hosted materials.

• Python Documentation on Value Comparisons
• Python documentation for compound statements