🧠 Python Logical Operators Explained – AND, OR, NOT with Examples

Logical operators in Python are used to combine conditional statements. They are essential in decision making, controlling the flow of programs using if, while, and other control structures.

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🔑 What Are Logical Operators?

Python provides three main logical operators:

Operator	Description	Syntax Example	Result Condition
and	Logical AND	x > 5 and x < 10	✅ True only if both are True
or	Logical OR	x > 5 or x < 3	✅ True if at least one is True
not	Logical NOT (Negation)	not (x > 10)	✅ True if expression is False

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📘 Truth Tables

🔹 and Operator

A	B	A and B
True	True	True
True	False	False
False	True	False
False	False	False

✅ Only returns True if both conditions are True.

🔹 or Operator

A	B	A or B
True	True	True
True	False	True
False	True	True
False	False	False

✅ Returns True if any one condition is True.

🔹 not Operator

A	not A
True	False
False	True

✅ Negates the condition (inverse of truth value).

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🧪 Examples

✅ and Usage:

x = 8
y = 21

if (x < 10) and (y > 20):
    print("Condition met")

📘 Explanation:

• x < 10 → True
• y > 20 → True
• Both are True → Executes the print statement.

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✅ or Usage:

age = 70

if age < 12 or age > 65:
    print("Eligible for discount")

📘 One condition age > 65 is True → Statement is executed.

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✅ not Usage:

is_logged_in = False

if not is_logged_in:
    print("Please log in")

📘 not False → True → Displays message.

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⚙️ Short-Circuit Behavior

Python evaluates expressions from left to right:

• A or B → if A is True, B is not evaluated.
• A and B → if A is False, B is not evaluated.

💡 Useful for optimizing performance and preventing unnecessary function calls:

def check():
    print("Check called")
    return True

if False and check():
    print("This won’t print")

Output: Nothing is printed because False and stops evaluation.

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⚠️ Operator Precedence

From highest to lowest:

1. not
2. and
3. or

📘 Example:

True or False and False

✅ Evaluates as: True or (False and False) → True

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💡 Pythonic Tips

• Prefer if x: over if x != 0: when checking for truthiness.
• Use logical chaining like 10 < x < 20 instead of x > 10 and x < 20 (Python supports this!).
• Use not to simplify negative logic: if not x == y → if x != y.

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📝 Summary

Operator	Description	Truth Behavior
and	True if both conditions are true	Stops at first False
or	True if any condition is true	Stops at first True
not	Inverts truth value	Highest precedence

Logical operators are powerful tools for building decision-making logic in Python. Mastering them is key to writing clear and efficient code.

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❓FAQs – Logical Operators in Python

❓ What does and return in Python?

It returns the first falsy value or the last value if all are truthy. Ex: 3 and 5 → 5.

❓ How is or used for setting defaults?

You can use or to set fallback values:

name = input("Name: ") or "Guest"

❓ Does not work on numbers?

Yes. not 0 → True, not 5 → False. Python treats 0 as False and any non-zero number as True.

❓ Can I use multiple and/or together?

Yes, use parentheses for clarity:

if (x > 5 and y < 10) or z == 0:

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