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Arithmetic Operators in Python

Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical calculations. Python supports basic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, as well as special operations like exponentiation or modulus.

Example - arithmetic operators

a = 10
b = 3

print(a + b)   # Addition → 13
print(a - b)   # Subtraction → 7
print(a * b)   # Multiplication → 30
print(a / b)   # Division → 3.333...
print(a // b)  # Integer division → 3
print(a % b)   # Modulus → 1
print(a ** b)  # Exponentiation → 1000
☞Note:
  • // returns only the integer part of the result.
  • % is useful for checking parity: x % 2 == 0 means x is even.
  • ** is the exponentiation operator: 2 ** 3 → 8.

Logical and Comparison Operators in Python

Logical and comparison operators are used to check conditions and to build expressions that return boolean values (True or False). They are essential in conditional statements and loops.

Comparison Operators

Compare two values and return True or False.

x = 10
y = 5

print(x == y)   # Equality → False
print(x != y)   # Inequality → True
print(x > y)    # Greater than → True
print(x < y)    # Less than → False
print(x >= y)   # Greater than or equal → True
print(x <= y)   # Less than or equal → False

Logical Operators

Combine boolean expressions.

a = True
b = False

print(a and b)   # True and False → False
print(a or b)    # True or False → True
print(not a)     # Negation of True → False
☞Note:
  • and returns True only if both conditions are true.
  • or returns True if at least one of the conditions is true.
  • not reverses the value: not True → False.

Assignment Operators in Python

Assignment operators are used to store a value in a variable. Besides the simple operator =, Python also provides compound operators that combine assignment with a mathematical operation.

Example - assignment operators

x = 10        # Simple assignment
x += 5        # Equivalent to: x = x + 5 → x becomes 15
x -= 3        # Equivalent to: x = x - 3 → x becomes 12
x *= 2        # Equivalent to: x = x * 2 → x becomes 24
x /= 4        # Equivalent to: x = x / 4 → x becomes 6.0
x %= 5        # Equivalent to: x = x % 5 → x becomes 1.0
x **= 3       # Equivalent to: x = x ** 3 → x becomes 1.0
☞Note:
  • Compound operators are useful for writing code more concisely and clearly.
  • They can also be used with data types like str or list, depending on context.
  • After an operation with /, the result is always float, even if the division is exact.

Operators on Strings and Lists in Python

Python allows using operators on data types such as strings (str) and lists (list). These operators are intuitive and easy to use.

String Operators (str)

text1 = "Hello"
text2 = "John"

print(text1 + " " + text2)   # Concatenation → "Hello John"
print(text1 * 3)             # Repetition → "HelloHelloHello"
print("lu" in text1)         # Content check → True

List Operators (list)

fruits = ["apples", "pears"]
vegetables = ["carrots", "potatoes"]

print(fruits + vegetables)       # Concatenation → ["apples", "pears", "carrots", "potatoes"]
print(fruits * 2)                # Repetition → ["apples", "pears", "apples", "pears"]
print("pears" in fruits)         # Content check → True
☞Note:
  • The + operator joins two strings or two lists.
  • The * operator repeats the content multiple times.
  • in checks if an element exists in a string or a list.

Set Operators in Python

Sets (set) are unordered collections of unique elements. Python provides special operators to work with sets: union, intersection, difference, and symmetric difference.

Example - union (|)

set1 = {1, 2, 3}
set2 = {3, 4, 5}

print(set1 | set2)   # Union → {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

Example - intersection (&)

print(set1 & set2)   # Intersection → {3}

Example - difference (-)

print(set1 - set2)   # Difference → {1, 2}
print(set2 - set1)   # Difference → {4, 5}

Example - symmetric difference (^)

print(set1 ^ set2)   # Elements that appear in only one set → {1, 2, 4, 5}
☞Note:
  • Sets automatically remove duplicate values.
  • Set operators are very useful for data filtering and quick comparisons.
  • You can also use equivalent methods: set1.union(set2), set1.intersection(set2), etc.

Operator Precedence in Python

When an expression contains multiple operators, Python follows a set of rules to decide the order in which they are evaluated. This is called operator precedence. If you want to control the order, use parentheses.

Example - without parentheses

result = 2 + 3 * 4
print(result)   # Displays: 14 - multiplication has precedence

Example - with parentheses

result = (2 + 3) * 4
print(result)   # Displays: 20 - addition is performed first

Operator order (from highest to lowest precedence)

☞Recommendation:
  • Use parentheses for clarity, especially in complex expressions.
  • Python follows standard mathematical order, but can evaluate expressions left to right.
  • Testing in the interpreter helps you understand how expressions behave.

🧠 Quiz - Operators in Python

Control Structures ➔

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