Operators are symbols used to perform operations on variables and values.
In Python, unary operators operate on a single operand (like -x for negation), while binary operators require two operands (like x + y for addition).
Arithmetic operators are used with numeric values to perform common mathematical operations:
| Operator | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| + | Addition | x + y |
| - | Subtraction | x - y |
| * | Multiplication | x * y |
| / | Division | x / y |
| % | Modulus | x % y |
| ** | Exponentiation | x ** y |
| // | Floor Division | x // y |
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables:
| Operator | Example | Same As |
|---|---|---|
| = | x = 5 | x = 5 |
| += | x += 3 | x = x + 3 |
| -= | x -= 3 | x = x - 3 |
| *= | x *= 3 | x = x * 3 |
| /= | x /= 3 | x = x / 3 |
| %= | x %= 3 | x = x % 3 |
| //= | x //= 3 | x = x // 3 |
| **= | x **= 3 | x = x ** 3 |
| &= | x &= 3 | x = x & 3 |
| |= | x |= 3 | x = x | 3 |
| ^= | x ^= 3 | x = x ^ 3 |
| >>= | x >>= 3 | x = x >> 3 |
| <<= | x <<= 3 | x = x << 3 |
| := | print(x := 3) | x = 3 print(x) |
Comparison operators are used to compare two values:
| Operator | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| == | Equal | x == y |
| != | Not equal | x != y |
| > | Greater than | x > y |
| < | Less than | x < y |
| >= | Greater than or equal to | x >= y |
| <= | Less than or equal to | x <= y |
Logical operators are used to combine conditional statements:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | Returns True if both statements are true | x < 5 and x < 10 |
| or | Returns True if one of the statements is true | x < 5 or x < 4 |
| not | Reverse the result, returns False if the result is true | not(x < 5 and x < 10) |
Identity operators are used to compare the objects, not if they are equal, but if they are actually the same object, with the same memory location:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| is | Returns True if both variables are the same object | x is y |
| is not | Returns True if both variables are not the same object | x is not y |
Membership operators are used to test if a sequence is presented in an object:
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in | Returns True if a sequence with the specified value is present in the object | x in y |
| not in | Returns True if a sequence with the specified value is not present in the object | x not in y |
Bitwise operators are used to compare (binary) numbers:
| Operator | Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| & | AND | Sets each bit to 1 if both bits are 1 | x & y |
| | | OR | Sets each bit to 1 if one of two bits is 1 | x | y |
| ^ | XOR | Sets each bit to 1 if only one of two bits is 1 | x ^ y |
| ~ | NOT | Inverts all the bits | ~x |
| << | Zero fill left shift | Shift left by pushing zeros in from the right | x << 2 |
| >> | Signed right shift | Shift right by copying leftmost bit and letting rightmost bits fall off | x >> 2 |
Operator precedence describes the order in which operations are performed.
If two operators have the same precedence, the expression is evaluated from left to right.
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| () | Parentheses |
| ** | Exponentiation |
| +x -x ~x | Unary plus, unary minus, and bitwise NOT |
| * / // % | Multiplication, division, floor division, and modulus |
| + - | Addition and subtraction |
| << >> | Bitwise left and right shifts |
| & | Bitwise AND |
| ^ | Bitwise XOR |
| | | Bitwise OR |
| == != > >= < <= is is not in not in | Comparisons, identity, and membership operators |
| not | Logical NOT |
| and | Logical AND |
| or | Logical OR |
