Or

Definition

The 'or' operator in Python is a Boolean operator that returns True if at least one of the operands evaluates to True. It is used in conditional statements to combine multiple conditions.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The 'or' operator evaluates from left to right and stops once a True value is found.
2. In expressions with 'or', short-circuit evaluation occurs, meaning further conditions are not checked if one condition is already True.
3. The syntax for using 'or' in Python is: condition1 or condition2.
4. When using 'or' with non-Boolean values, Python returns the first operand that evaluates to True, or the last operand if none are True.
5. The 'or' operator can be used with variables, literals, and function calls within conditional statements.

Review Questions

• What will be the result of 'True or False'? Why?
• Explain how short-circuit evaluation works with the 'or' operator.
• Write a Python statement using 'or' that checks if either variable x is greater than 10 or variable y is equal to 5.

Related terms

and: A Boolean operator in Python that returns True only if all operands evaluate to True; it uses short-circuit evaluation.

not: A Boolean operator that negates the truth value of its operand; it returns True if the operand is False and vice versa.

Conditional Statement: A programming construct used to perform different actions based on whether a specified Boolean expression evaluates to True or False.