In Python, operators are special symbols or keywords that perform operations on values and variables. They are the foundation of any computation — helping you perform tasks like addition, comparison, or logical evaluation.
This article explains different types of operators in Python — including Arithmetic, Assignment, Comparison, Logical, and Bitwise operators — along with an overview of operator precedence.
What Are Operators?
An operator is a symbol that tells the interpreter to perform a specific action. The values or variables that operators act upon are called operands.
a = 10
b = 5
result = a + b
Here:
- a and b are operands
- + is an operator
- The expression a + b evaluates to 15
Arithmetic Operators
Arithmetic operators are used to perform mathematical calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
| Operator |
Description |
Example |
Result |
| + |
Addition |
10 + 5 |
15 |
| - |
Subtraction |
10 - 5 |
5 |
| * |
Multiplication |
10 * 5 |
50 |
| / |
Division |
10 / 5 |
2.0 |
| // |
Floor Division |
10 // 3 |
3 |
| % |
Modulus (Remainder) |
10 % 3 |
1 |
| ** |
Exponentiation |
2 ** 3 |
8 |
Example:
x = 10
y = 3
print(x + y) # 13
print(x ** y) # 1000
print(x // y) # 3
Assignment Operators
Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables.
Python supports compound assignment — meaning you can perform an operation and assignment in one step.
| Operator |
Description |
Example |
Equivalent To |
| = |
Assigns value |
x = 10 |
— |
| += |
Add and assign |
x += 5 |
x = x + 5 |
| -= |
Subtract and assign |
x -= 3 |
x = x - 3 |
| *= |
Multiply and assign |
x *= 2 |
x = x * 2 |
| /= |
Divide and assign |
x /= 4 |
x = x / 4 |
| //= |
Floor divide and assign |
x //= 2 |
x = x // 2 |
| %= |
Modulus and assign |
x %= 3 |
x = x % 3 |
| **= |
Power and assign |
x **= 2 |
x = x ** 2 |
Example:
x = 10
x += 5
print(x) # 15
x **= 2
print(x) # 225
Comparison Operators
Comparison operators are used to compare two values. They return either True or False (a Boolean result).
| Operator |
Description |
Example |
Result |
| == |
Equal to |
5 == 5 |
True |
| != |
Not equal to |
5 != 3 |
True |
| > |
Greater than |
7 > 4 |
True |
| < |
Less than |
7 < 4 |
False |
| >= |
Greater than or equal to |
5 >= 5 |
True |
| <= |
Less than or equal to |
4 <= 6 |
True |
Example:
a = 10
b = 20
print(a > b) # False
print(a != b) # True
Logical Operators
Logical operators combine multiple conditions and return a Boolean result (True or False).
| Operator |
Description |
Example |
Result |
| and |
Returns True if both conditions are true |
(5 > 2 and 10 > 3) |
True |
| or |
Returns True if at least one condition is true |
(5 > 10 or 3 < 7) |
True |
| not |
Reverses the result |
not(5 > 2) |
False |
Example:
a = 10
b = 5
print(a > 5 and b < 10) # True
print(a > 5 or b > 10) # True
print(not(a == 10)) # False
Bitwise Operators
Bitwise operators perform operations on binary representations of numbers (bit level).
These are mostly used in low-level programming, such as hardware or performance-based applications.
| Operator |
Description |
Example |
Binary Operation |
Result |
| & |
AND |
5 & 3 |
0101 & 0011 |
1 |
| | |
OR |
5 | 3 |
0101 | 0011 |
7 |
| ^ |
XOR |
5 ^ 3 |
0101 ^ 0011 |
6 |
| ~ |
NOT |
~5 |
— |
-6 |
| << |
Left Shift |
5 << 1 |
0101 → 1010 |
10 |
| >> |
Right Shift |
5 >> 1 |
0101 → 0010 |
2 |
Example:
a = 5 # 0101
b = 3 # 0011
print(a & b) # 1
print(a | b) # 7
print(a ^ b) # 6
print(a << 1) # 10
Operator Precedence in Python
When multiple operators are used in a single expression, Python follows a specific order of evaluation — known as operator precedence. Operators with higher precedence are executed first.
| Precedence Level |
Operator |
Description |
| 1 |
() |
Parentheses |
| 2 |
** |
Exponentiation |
| 3 |
+x, -x, ~x |
Unary plus, minus, bitwise NOT |
| 4 |
*, /, //, % |
Multiplication, Division, Modulus |
| 5 |
+, - |
Addition, Subtraction |
| 6 |
<<, >> |
Bitwise Shift |
| 7 |
& |
Bitwise AND |
| 8 |
^ |
Bitwise XOR |
| 9 |
| |
Bitwise OR |
| 10 |
==, !=, >, <, >=, <= |
Comparison |
| 11 |
not |
Logical NOT |
| 12 |
and |
Logical AND |
| 13 |
or |
Logical OR |
Example:
x = 10 + 3 * 2
print(x) # 16 → Multiplication (*) has higher precedence than addition (+)
y = (10 + 3) * 2
print(y) # 26 → Parentheses override precedence
Summary
Understanding operators in Python is essential for writing efficient and logical code.
| Operator Type |
Description |
| Arithmetic |
Perform basic math operations |
| Assignment |
Assign and update values |
| Comparison |
Compare two values and return Boolean results |
| Logical |
Combine multiple conditions |
| Bitwise |
Work with binary data |
| Operator Precedence |
Defines the order in which operations are evaluated |
By mastering arithmetic, comparison, logical, and bitwise operations, you’ll be able to create dynamic and powerful expressions.
In the next article, we'll explore Input and Output in Python — learning how to take user input and display formatted output effectively.
