Boolean Data Type in Python

Last Updated on March 14, 2023 by Prepbytes

Data types are the classifications of data according to which a variable or expression can hold a value. Like any other programming language python provides many built-in data types like integers, float, complex numbers, strings, lists, tuples, sets, boolean types, etc. These data types are very useful as we can represent our data atleast in any one of these data types. With the help of this, we can optimize memory usage. While moving further in this article we will discuss all boolean variables with examples.

Boolean Data Type in Python

We can say that the boolean data type is one of the most commonly used data types in python. It is used to represent two possible states and they are true or false, on or off, yes or no, etc. It is named after the famous 19th-century mathematician Gerogr Boole who was mainly known for his contribution to mathematical logic. Like any other programming language, the boolean data type in python is represented by two built-in constants- True and False.
Boolean operators in python are used to evaluate the expressions and they result in a boolean variable either false or true. We can also use these operators to compare two or more than two values and can determine whether they are equal, less than, or greater than in boolean operators we can also use other logical operators like and or not, etc.

Example of Boolean Data Type in Python

Below is a general example of boolean data type in python.

a = True
type(a)

b = False
type(b)

Output

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we are just printing the class of both true and false to show that they both belong to bool class.

Evaluate Variables and Expressions

We can evaluate the expressions and evaluate the value using the bool() function in python. The function of this method is to convert or return a value to a boolean value.

Syntax
The syntax for bool function is given below:

bool([x])

Example of Boolean Data Type in Python using bool Function
Below is the example of the bool function in python

a = True
b = False
c = bool(0)
d = bool(1)
print(a, b, c, d)

Output

True False False True

Explanation of the above example
In the above example, we have assigned the boolean variables a and b to true and false respectively. And now we are converting the variables c and d to boolean variables using the bool function as they are assigned to 0 and 1 respectively.

Example of Boolean Data Type in Python using Boolean Expressions
Boolean expressions is created using boolean operators and conditional statements.

Code Implementation

a = 10
b = 5
c = 7
if a > b and a > c:
    print("a is the largest number")
elif b > a and b > c:
    print("b is the largest number")
else:
    print("c is the largest number")

Output

a is the largest number

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we are using the boolean expression to know the largest variable among the variables a,b and c. We will work with the conditional statement and check for the largest variable and the statement which is true we will print the statement inside that condition.

Floats and Integers as Boolean Data Type in Python

We can use the concept of truthiness to evaluate the floating point number and integers as boolean values in python. We will consider a value truthy if it is not false, 0, None, or an empty collection or sequence. All the remaining values are considered as truthy.

Example of how integers and floating-point numbers can be evaluated as boolean values

Let’s look at the example of how integers and floating-point numbers can be evaluated as boolean values:

x = 5
if x:
    print("x is truthy")
else:
    print("x is falsy")
y = 0
if y:
    print("y is truthy")
else:
    print("y is falsy")
z = 3.14
if z:
    print("z is truthy")
else:
    print("z is falsy")
w = 0.0
if w:
    print("w is truthy")
else:
    print("w is falsy")

Output

x is truthy
y is falsy
z is truthy
w is falsy

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we are considering four cases in the first case we are assigning x to 5, which is integer and non zero hence the true.
In the second case, we are equating the variable y to 0 so the false.
In the third case, we are equating the variable z to 3.14 which is non zero floating point value hence the answer is true and in the fourth case we are equating w to 0.0 hence false.

Boolean Operators

They are simple operators which return true or false. These include various operators like

• or
• and
• not
• ==(equivalent)
• !=(not equivalent)

Boolean OR Operator

The boolean or operator in Python returns True if at least one of the operands is True. If both operands are False, it returns False. The or operator is used when we want to check if at least one of the conditions is true.

The truth table is given below:

Example of Boolean OR Operator
Here is an example of boolean or operator

x = 10
y = 20
z = 30

if x > y or z > y:
    print("At least one of the conditions is true")
else:
    print("Both conditions are false")

Output

At least one of the conditions is true

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we have three variables x, and z and we are checking whether x is greater than y or z is greater than y and we have set the conditions accordingly and by following the conditions we get the answer as at least one of the conditions is true.

Boolean AND Operator

The boolean and operator will return true if both the conditions are true in other cases it will return false. We use the boolean and operator to check whether both conditions are true or not.

The truth table is given below:

Example of boolean AND Operator in Python
Below is the example of and boolean operator in python.

x = 10
y = 20
z = 30

if x < y and y < z:
    print("All conditions are true")
else:
    print("At least one of the conditions is false")

Output

All conditions are true

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we have three variables with name x, y, and z. We have two statements and the corresponding print statement associated with both of them but the comparison statement is true hence we have the output as all conditions are true.

Boolean NOT Operator

This is a single input operator which will return the opposite of the boolean value provided by input. If the input is true it will return false and vice versa. The simple use of the not operator is to reverse the value of the boolean condition.

The truth table is given below:

Example of Boolean NOT Operator
Below is the example of the boolean not operator.

x = 10
y = 20

if not x > y:
    print("x is not greater than y")
else:
    print("x is greater than y")

Output

x is not greater than y

Explanation of the above code
In the above code, we have two variables x and y. We are using the not operator to check if x is not greater than y. In this case, the condition is true (x is not greater than y), so the code prints "x is not greater than y".

Boolean == operator

This is use for comparison. This will return true if both the oeprands are equal otherwise it will return false. The == operator is used when we want to compare the values of two operands.

Example of Boolean == Operator in Python
Now we will see the example of boolean == operator.

x = 10
y = 20

if x == y:
    print("x is equal to y")
else:
    print("x is not equal to y")

Output

x is not equal to y

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we are using the == operator to compare the value of the two declared values x and y that whether they are equal or not as they are not equal hence the output is x is not equal to y.

Boolean != Operator

This is just the opposite of the operator we have studied above as it will return true when the value of both operands are not equal and if they are equal it will return false.

Example of Boolean != Operator in Python
Below is the example with code and explanation of the != operator in python.

x = 10
y = 20

if x != y:
    print("x is not equal to y")
else:
    print("x is equal to y")

Output

x is not equal to y

Explanation of the above example
In the above example as the value of x and y are not same hence the operator returns true and the print statement corresponding to it prints x and y are not equal.

Boolean Is Operator

The is operator in python is used to check whether the two variables refer to the same object in the memory or not. And if they is referring to the same object in the memory then it will return true otherwise it will return false.

Example of boolean Is Operator in Python
An example of a boolean is operator is given below.

x = [1, 2, 3]
y = x

if x is y:
    print("x and y refer to the same object")
else:
    print("x and y refer to different objects")

Output

x and y refer to the same object

Explanation of the above example
In the above example x and y are the same lists in the memory hence it returns they refer to the same object.

Boolean In Operator

As the name suggests this will return true if the string is present in the list and false if not.

Example of Boolean in Operator
Below is an example of the boolean in operator in python.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "orange"]
print("apple" in fruits)   
print("grape" in fruits)

Output

True
False

Explanation of the above example
In the above example we are using the in operator to check whether the apple and grape are in the list or not as the apple is in the list it will return true and the grape is not in the list it will return false.

Applications of Boolean Data Type in Python

Some of the applications of boolean data type in python.

• Conditional statements: Boolean statements are often used in conditional statements as with their help of them we can divide the code and will have to execute only the valid part of the code.
• Loops: They are also used in loops as they will decide the working of the loop till the condition is true our loop is working the moment the condition becomes false the loop stop working.
• Boolean operators: They are used to combine multiple boolean expressions together and will result in more easily readable code.

Conclusion
Boolean data type in python is a fundamental concept and is used extensively in various programming applications. It helps in evaluating conditions and making decisions based on them. In this article, we have covered the basics of boolean data type in python, boolean operators, boolean variables, boolean statements, boolean operators like is, in, and, or, not, etc. These concepts form the building blocks of more complex programming applications and are essential for anyone who wants to learn Python programming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about boolean data type in python.

1. What is the difference between the is and == operators in Python?
The is operator checks if two variables refer to the same object in memory, while the == operator checks if two variables have the same value.

2. What is the order of precedence for boolean operators in Python?
The order of precedence for boolean operators in Python is not, and, and or.

3. Can boolean values be used in arithmetic operations in Python?
Yes, boolean values can be used in arithmetic operations in Python. True is equivalent to 1, and False is equivalent to 0.

4. What is short-circuit evaluation in boolean expressions in Python?
Short-circuit evaluation is a feature in boolean expressions in Python where the second operand is evaluated only if necessary.

5. Can boolean expressions be nested in Python?
Yes, boolean expressions can be nested in Python.