What does the `==` operator do in Python?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: What does the == operator do in Python?

Option a: 'Adds two numbers' — This is incorrect. Addition is performed with the + operator, not ==, which is an equality comparison, not arithmetic.

Option b: 'Checks type' — This is incorrect. The type-checking operation would be something like type(x) or isinstance(x, T). The == operator does not inspect or compare types directly.

Option c: 'Assigns a value' — This is incorrect. Assignment is done with a single equals sign (the = operator) in Python, which binds a value to a name. The == operator does not create or modify bindings.

Option d: 'Compares equality' — This is correct. The == operator evaluates whether the left and right operands are equal in value, returning a boolean (True or False). In Python, equality comparison can involve numbers, strings, objects, and more, and underlying behavior can involve an object’s __eq__ method.

Further nuance: While == checks for value equality, there is also the is operator which checks identity (whether two references point to the same object). Also, when comparing objects, __eq__ defines how equality is determined, which may differ from object identity or type checks. This helps explain why some equality comparisons can yield surprising results depending on how a class implements __eq__.

Programming with Python (032025-TST)

What does the `==` operator do in Python?

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