Welcome back, Python explorers! This is Day 3 of our coding journey. Missed Day 2? Catch up before diving in today!
🔧 The Power Tools: Python Operators
Think of operators as Python's Swiss Army knife - small symbols that perform powerful actions. Let's unlock them one by one!
➕ Arithmetic Operators: Math Made Easy
print(3 + 4) # 7 (Addition) print(3 - 4) # -1 (Subtraction) print(3 * 4) # 12 (Multiplication) print(3 / 4) # 0.75 (Division) print(2 ** 4) # 16 (Exponentiation - 2 raised to power 4) print(3 // 4) # 0 (Floor division - divides and rounds down) print(3 % 4) # 3 (Modulus - returns remainder after division) Quick Tips:
- Use
**for powers (faster than importing math.pow) -
//gives you clean integers when you don't need decimals -
%is perfect for checking divisibility or creating cycles
🔍 Identity Operators: The Memory Detectives
x = 3 y = 4 print(x is y) # False print(x is not y) # True 💡 Key Insight:
ischecks if two variables reference the same object in memory - not just the same value!
⚠️ The == vs is Trap:
x = [1, 2, 3] y = [1, 2, 3] print(x == y) # True (values are equal) print(x is y) # False (different objects in memory) But wait! Numbers and strings can behave differently:
x = 10 y = 10 print(x is y) # True (Python optimizes by reusing same object) 🧮 Bitwise Operators: Binary Magic
print(3 & 4) # 0 (Bitwise AND) print(3 | 4) # 7 (Bitwise OR) print(3 ^ 4) # 7 (Bitwise XOR) print(~4) # -5 (Bitwise NOT) print(3 << 4) # 48 (Left shift) print(3 >> 4) # 0 (Right shift) Visual breakdown: When we do 3 & 4:
- 3 in binary =
011 - 4 in binary =
100 -
011 & 100 = 000(0 in decimal)
⚖️ Comparison Operators: Decision Makers
print(3 == 4) # False (Equal to) print(3 != 4) # True (Not equal to) print(3 > 4) # False (Greater than) print(3 < 4) # True (Less than) print(3 >= 4) # False (Greater than or equal to) print(3 <= 4) # True (Less than or equal to) Remember: These always return Boolean values (True or False) - the foundation of conditional logic!
✏️ Assignment Operators: Elegant Shortcuts
x = 3 # Basic assignment x += 4 # x = x + 4 (now x is 7) More shortcuts you'll love:
-
-=for subtraction -
*=for multiplication -
/=for division -
**=for exponentiation -
//=for floor division -
%=for modulus
🔎 Membership Operators: The Finders
x = [1, 2, 3] print(3 in x) # True print(4 not in x) # True Pro tip: These work on any iterable - lists, tuples, strings, dictionaries, and sets!
🧠 Conditional Statements: The Decision Trees
⚡ Basic if-elif-else Structure
x = 10 if x == 10: print("x is 10") elif x == 20: print("x is 20") else: print("x is neither 10 nor 20") Flow visualization:
- Check if x is 10
- If TRUE → Print message and exit
- If FALSE → Continue to next check
- Check if x is 20
- If TRUE → Print message and exit
- If FALSE → Execute else block
🌳 Nested Conditionals: Complex Decision Trees
num = int(input("Enter a number: ")) if num % 2 == 0: if num % 3 == 0: print("The number is divisible by both 2 and 3.") else: print("The number is divisible by 2 but not by 3.") else: if num % 3 == 0: print("The number is not divisible by 2 but divisible by 3.") else: print("The number is not divisible by either 2 or 3.") Decision chart:
- Is num divisible by 2?
- YES → Is num divisible by 3?
- YES → "Divisible by both 2 and 3"
- NO → "Divisible by 2 but not by 3"
- NO → Is num divisible by 3?
- YES → "Not divisible by 2 but divisible by 3"
- NO → "Not divisible by either 2 or 3"
🏆 Challenge Yourself!
Put your new skills to use:
- Create a program that determines if a year is a leap year
- Build a simple calculator that uses all arithmetic operators
- Write a script to check if a number is prime
🔗 Resources
🔮 Coming Up Next...
Tomorrow we'll explore loops and iteration - the tools that let your programs repeat tasks efficiently!
← Day 2: Python Data Types | Day 3: Operators & Conditionals | [Day 4: Coming Soon →]
Drop a comment below with your favorite Python operator and why you love it! Let's learn together! 💬
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