Learn Comparison Operators | Booleans and Comparisons

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Comparisons let your program ask yes/no questions about values:

Are these the same?
Is this bigger?
Does this number fall inside a range?

A comparison returns a Boolean (True or False) and is the backbone of if/while logic.

The Essentials

Python provides six comparison operators (==, !=, <, <=, >, >=) to test equality and ordering between values, each comparison evaluates to True or False.

Equality `==`

Checks whether two values are the same.


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saved_pin = 1234
entered_pin = 1234
print(saved_pin == entered_pin)  # True → user entered the correct PIN

stored_email = "support@codefinity.com"
input_email = "Support@codefinity.com"
print(stored_email == input_email)  # False → case matters in string comparison

Note

= assigns a value to a variable, while == compares two values.

Inequality `!=`

Checks whether two values are different.


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user_id_1 = 105
user_id_2 = 203
print(user_id_1 != user_id_2)  # True → users have different IDs

username_1 = "alex"
username_2 = "alex"
print(username_1 != username_2)  # False → usernames match

Greater Than `>`

True if the left value is strictly larger than the right.


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# Comparing delivery times in minutes
estimated_time = 7
actual_time = 9
print(estimated_time > actual_time)  # False → delivery took longer than expected

# Comparing two product ratings
rating_product_a = 12
rating_product_b = 3
print(rating_product_a > rating_product_b)  # True → product A has a higher rating

Less Than `<`

True if the left value is strictly smaller than the right.


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# Comparing user's age with the minimum required age
user_age = 17
min_age = 18
print(user_age < min_age)  # True → user is too young to access the service

# Comparing names alphabetically
first_name = "Alice"
second_name = "Bob"
print(first_name < second_name)  # True → "Alice" comes before "Bob" alphabetically

Greater Than or Equal `>=`

True if the left value is larger or equal to the right.


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# Checking if a student reached the passing score
student_score = 7
passing_score = 7
print(student_score >= passing_score)  # True → student passed the test

# Comparing two package weights before shipping
package_weight = 4
min_weight_required = 9
print(package_weight >= min_weight_required)  # False → package is too light

Less Than or Equal `<=`

True if the left value is smaller or equal to the right.


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# Checking if an order total qualifies for a discount limit
order_total = 10
discount_limit = 9
print(order_total <= discount_limit)  # False → total exceeds the discount limit

# Verifying if a student arrived on time (in minutes)
arrival_time = 5
deadline_time = 5
print(arrival_time <= deadline_time)  # True → student arrived right on time

Chained Comparisons

Python lets you write ranges naturally: 0 < x < 10 means "x is greater than 0 and less than 10". Under the hood it behaves like (0 < x) and (x < 10).


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# Checking if the temperature is within a comfortable range
temperature = 7
print(0 < temperature < 10)  # True → temperature is within the cool range

# Checking if a user's rating fits the top-tier range
user_rating = 7
print(5 <= user_rating <= 7)  # True → rating is within the premium bracket

This reads cleanly and avoids repeating x.

Comparing Strings

String comparisons are case-sensitive and lexicographic (character-by-character in Unicode order).


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# Comparing user input with stored data
saved_password = "Apple"
typed_password = "apple"
print(saved_password == typed_password)  # False → passwords are case-sensitive

# Sorting items alphabetically
first_item = "apple"
second_item = "banana"
print(first_item < second_item)  # True → "apple" comes before "banana" alphabetically

For case-insensitive checks, normalize both sides first.


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# Comparing email addresses entered in different cases
email_stored = "Support@Codefinity.com"
email_input = "support@codefinity.COM"

print(email_stored.lower() == email_input.lower())  # True → emails match, case ignored