Python Logical Operators - Introduction

Logical operators in Python are used to perform logical operations on variables and expressions. They return either True or False depending on the condition of the operands. Python has three logical operators: and, or, and not.

Here’s a breakdown of how each works:

1. and Operator

The and operator returns True if both the operands (conditions) are true. If either or both of the operands are false, the result is False.

In this example, since a is True and b is False, the result of a and b is False.

2. or Operator

The or operator returns True if at least one of the operands is true. If both are false, the result is False.

Here, a is True and b is False, but since at least one operand (a) is true, the result of a or b is True.

3. not Operator

The not operator is a unary operator that inverts the Boolean value of the operand. It returns True if the operand is false, and False if the operand is true.

In this case, since a is True, the not operator inverts it and the result becomes False.

Precedence of Logical Operators

The precedence of logical operators determines the order in which they are evaluated in a complex expression. The precedence in Python is as follows:

1. not
2. and
3. or

You can use parentheses to group expressions and control the evaluation order.

Use Cases

Logical operators are widely used in:

• Conditional statements: To make decisions based on multiple conditions.
• Loops: To continue or break loops based on compound conditions.
• Filtering data: To select elements based on specific logical conditions in lists, dictionaries, etc.

Logical operators in Python make it easy to build complex decision-making conditions in your code.