Scribd
Upload
78 views

Python Programming: An Introduction To Computer Science: Loop Structures and Booleans

The chapter discusses different types of loops in Python including definite loops using for, indefinite loops using while, and different patterns for indefinite loops like interactive loops and sentinel loops. Interactive loops allow a user to repeatedly enter data by asking if there is more data after each iteration. Sentinel loops continue processing data until a special sentinel value is entered to end the loop. Examples are provided to average a set of numbers using each of these loop patterns.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Mehroz Badshah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
78 views

Python Programming: An Introduction To Computer Science: Loop Structures and Booleans

The chapter discusses different types of loops in Python including definite loops using for, indefinite loops using while, and different patterns for indefinite loops like interactive loops and sentinel loops. Interactive loops allow a user to repeatedly enter data by asking if there is more data after each iteration. Sentinel loops continue processing data until a special sentinel value is entered to end the loop. Examples are provided to average a set of numbers using each of these loop patterns.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Mehroz Badshah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 96

Python Programming:

An Introduction
To Computer Science

Chapter 8
Loop Structures and Booleans

Python Programming, 2/e 1


Objectives
 To understand the concepts of definite
and indefinite loops as they are realized
in the Python for and while
statements.
 To understand the programming
patterns interactive loop and sentinel
loop and their implementations using a
Python while statement.
Python Programming, 2/e 2
Objectives
 To understand the programming
pattern end-of-file loop and ways of
implementing such loops in Python.
 To be able to design and implement
solutions to problems involving loop
patterns including nested loop
structures.

Python Programming, 2/e 3


Objectives
 To understand the basic ideas of
Boolean algebra and be able to analyze
and write Boolean expressions involving
Boolean operators.

Python Programming, 2/e 4


For Loops: A Quick Review
 The for statement allows us to iterate
through a sequence of values.
 for <var> in <sequence>:
<body>
 The loop index variable var takes on
each successive value in the sequence,
and the statements in the body of the
loop are executed once for each value.

Python Programming, 2/e 5


For Loops: A Quick Review
 Suppose we want to write a program that can
compute the average of a series of numbers
entered by the user.
 To make the program general, it should work
with any size set of numbers.
 We don’t need to keep track of each number
entered, we only need know the running sum
and how many numbers have been added.

Python Programming, 2/e 6


For Loops: A Quick Review
 We’ve run into some of these things
before!
 A series of numbers could be handled by
some sort of loop. If there are n numbers,
the loop should execute n times.
 We need a running sum. This will use an
accumulator.

Python Programming, 2/e 7


For Loops: A Quick Review
 Input the count of the
numbers, n
 Initialize sum to 0
 Loop n times
 Input a number, x
 Add x to sum
 Output average as sum/n

Python Programming, 2/e 8


For Loops: A Quick Review
# average1.py
# A program to average a set of numbers
# Illustrates counted loop with accumulator

def main():
n = eval(input("How many numbers do you have? "))
sum = 0.0
for i in range(n):
x = eval(input("Enter a number >> "))
sum = sum + x
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / n)
 Note that sum is initialized to 0.0 so that sum/n returns a float!

Python Programming, 2/e 9


For Loops: A Quick Review
How many numbers do you have? 5
Enter a number >> 32
Enter a number >> 45
Enter a number >> 34
Enter a number >> 76
Enter a number >> 45

The average of the numbers is 46.4

Python Programming, 2/e 10


Indefinite Loops
 That last program got the job done, but you
need to know ahead of time how many
numbers you’ll be dealing with.
 What we need is a way for the computer to
take care of counting how many numbers
there are.
 The for loop is a definite loop, meaning that
the number of iterations is determined when
the loop starts.
Python Programming, 2/e 11
Indefinite Loops
 We can’t use a definite loop unless we
know the number of iterations ahead of
time. We can’t know how many
iterations we need until all the numbers
have been entered.
 We need another tool!
 The indefinite or conditional loop keeps
iterating until certain conditions are
met.
Python Programming, 2/e 12
Indefinite Loops
 while <condition>:
<body>
 condition is a Boolean expression, just like
in if statements. The body is a sequence of
one or more statements.
 Semantically, the body of the loop executes
repeatedly as long as the condition remains
true. When the condition is false, the loop
terminates.

Python Programming, 2/e 13


Indefinite Loops

 The condition is tested at the top of the loop.


This is known as a pre-test loop. If the
condition is initially false, the loop body will
not execute at all.
Python Programming, 2/e 14
Indefinite Loop
 Here’s an example of a while loop
that counts from 0 to 10:
i = 0
while i <= 10:
print(i)
i = i + 1

 The code has the same output as this


for loop:
for i in range(11):
print(i)

Python Programming, 2/e 15


Indefinite Loop
 The while loop requires us to manage
the loop variable i by initializing it to 0
before the loop and incrementing it at
the bottom of the body.
 In the for loop this is handled
automatically.

Python Programming, 2/e 16


Indefinite Loop
 The while statement is simple, but yet
powerful and dangerous – they are a
common source of program errors.
 i = 0
while i <= 10:
print(i)
 What happens with this code?

Python Programming, 2/e 17


Indefinite Loop
 When Python gets to this loop, i is
equal to 0, which is less than 10, so the
body of the loop is executed, printing 0.
Now control returns to the condition,
and since i is still 0, the loop repeats,
etc.
 This is an example of an infinite loop.

Python Programming, 2/e 18


Indefinite Loop
 What should you do if you’re caught in
an infinite loop?
 First, try pressing control-c
 If that doesn’t work, try control-alt-delete
 If that doesn’t work, push the reset
button!

Python Programming, 2/e 19


Interactive Loops
 One good use of the indefinite loop is to write
interactive loops. Interactive loops allow a
user to repeat certain portions of a program
on demand.
 Remember how we said we needed a way for
the computer to keep track of how many
numbers had been entered? Let’s use
another accumulator, called count.

Python Programming, 2/e 20


Interactive Loops
 At each iteration of the loop, ask the user if
there is more data to process. We need to
preset it to “yes” to go through the loop the
first time.
 set moredata to “yes”
while moredata is “yes”
get the next data item
process the item
ask user if there is moredata

Python Programming, 2/e 21


Interactive Loops
 Combining the interactive loop pattern with
accumulators for sum and count:
 initialize sum to 0.0
initialize count to 0
set moredata to “yes”
while moredata is “yes”
input a number, x
add x to sum
add 1 to count
ask user if there is moredata
output sum/count
Python Programming, 2/e 22
Interactive Loops
# average2.py
# A program to average a set of numbers
# Illustrates interactive loop with two accumulators

def main():
moredata = "yes"
sum = 0.0
count = 0
while moredata[0] == 'y':
x = eval(input("Enter a number >> "))
sum = sum + x
count = count + 1
moredata = input("Do you have more numbers (yes or no)? ")
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / count)

 Using string indexing (moredata[0]) allows us to


accept “y”, “yes”, “yeah” to continue the loop

Python Programming, 2/e 23


Interactive Loops
Enter a number >> 32
Do you have more numbers (yes or no)? y
Enter a number >> 45
Do you have more numbers (yes or no)? yes
Enter a number >> 34
Do you have more numbers (yes or no)? yup
Enter a number >> 76
Do you have more numbers (yes or no)? y
Enter a number >> 45
Do you have more numbers (yes or no)? nah

The average of the numbers is 46.4

Python Programming, 2/e 24


Sentinel Loops
 A sentinel loop continues to process
data until reaching a special value that
signals the end.
 This special value is called the sentinel.
 The sentinel must be distinguishable
from the data since it is not processed
as part of the data.

Python Programming, 2/e 25


Sentinel Loops
 get the first data item
while item is not the sentinel
process the item
get the next data item

 The first item is retrieved before the loop


starts. This is sometimes called the priming
read, since it gets the process started.
 If the first item is the sentinel, the loop
terminates and no data is processed.
 Otherwise, the item is processed and the next
one is read.

Python Programming, 2/e 26


Sentinel Loops
 In our averaging example, assume we
are averaging test scores.
 We can assume that there will be no
score below 0, so a negative number
will be the sentinel.

Python Programming, 2/e 27


Sentinel Loops
# average3.py
# A program to average a set of numbers
# Illustrates sentinel loop using negative input as sentinel

def main():
sum = 0.0
count = 0
x = eval(input("Enter a number (negative to quit) >> "))
while x >= 0:
sum = sum + x
count = count + 1
x = eval(input("Enter a number (negative to quit) >> "))
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / count)

Python Programming, 2/e 28


Sentinel Loops
Enter a number (negative to quit) >> 32
Enter a number (negative to quit) >> 45
Enter a number (negative to quit) >> 34
Enter a number (negative to quit) >> 76
Enter a number (negative to quit) >> 45
Enter a number (negative to quit) >> -1

The average of the numbers is 46.4

Python Programming, 2/e 29


Sentinel Loops
 This version provides the ease of use of
the interactive loop without the hassle
of typing ‘y’ all the time.
 There’s still a shortcoming – using this
method we can’t average a set of
positive and negative numbers.
 If we do this, our sentinel can no longer
be a number.

Python Programming, 2/e 30


Sentinel Loops
 We could input all the information as
strings.
 Valid input would be converted into
numeric form. Use a character-based
sentinel.
 We could use the empty string (“”)!

Python Programming, 2/e 31


Sentinel Loops
initialize sum to 0.0
initialize count to 0
input data item as a string, xStr
while xStr is not empty
convert xStr to a number, x
add x to sum
add 1 to count
input next data item as a string, xStr
Output sum / count

Python Programming, 2/e 32


Sentinel Loops
# average4.py
# A program to average a set of numbers
# Illustrates sentinel loop using empty string as sentinel

def main():
sum = 0.0
count = 0
xStr = input("Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> ")
while xStr != "":
x = eval(xStr)
sum = sum + x
count = count + 1
xStr = input("Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> ")
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / count)

Python Programming, 2/e 33


Sentinel Loops
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> 34
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> 23
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> 0
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> -25
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> -34.4
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >> 22.7
Enter a number (<Enter> to quit) >>

The average of the numbers is 3.38333333333

Python Programming, 2/e 34


File Loops
 The biggest disadvantage of our
program at this point is that they are
interactive.
 What happens if you make a typo on
number 43 out of 50?
 A better solution for large data sets is
to read the data from a file.

Python Programming, 2/e 35


File Loops
# average5.py
# Computes the average of numbers listed in a file.

def main():
fileName = input("What file are the numbers in? ")
infile = open(fileName,'r')
sum = 0.0
count = 0
for line in infile.readlines():
sum = sum + eval(line)
count = count + 1
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / count)

Python Programming, 2/e 36


File Loops
 Many languages don’t have a
mechanism for looping through a file
like this. Rather, they use a sentinel!
 We could use readline in a loop to
get the next line of the file.
 At the end of the file, readline
returns an empty string, “”

Python Programming, 2/e 37


File Loops
 line = infile.readline()
while line != ""
#process line
line = infile.readline()

 Does this code correctly handle the


case where there’s a blank line in the
file?
 Yes. An empty line actually ends with
the newline character, and readline
includes the newline. “\n” != “”
Python Programming, 2/e 38
File Loops
# average6.py
# Computes the average of numbers listed in a file.

def main():
fileName = input("What file are the numbers in? ")
infile = open(fileName,'r')
sum = 0.0
count = 0
line = infile.readline()
while line != "":
sum = sum + eval(line)
count = count + 1
line = infile.readline()
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / count)

Python Programming, 2/e 39


Nested Loops
 In the last chapter we saw how we
could nest if statements. We can also
nest loops.
 Suppose we change our specification to
allow any number of numbers on a line
in the file (separated by commas),
rather than one per line.

Python Programming, 2/e 40


Nested Loops
 At the top level, we will use a file-
processing loop that computes a
running sum and count.
sum = 0.0
count = 0
line = infile.readline()
while line != "":
#update sum and count for values in line
line = infile.readline()
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum/count)

Python Programming, 2/e 41


Nested Loops
 In the next level in we need to update the
sum and count in the body of the loop.
 Since each line of the file contains one or
more numbers separated by commas, we can
split the string into substrings, each of which
represents a number.
 Then we need to loop through the substrings,
convert each to a number, and add it to sum.
 We also need to update count.

Python Programming, 2/e 42


Nested Loops
 for xStr in line.split(","):
sum = sum + eval(xStr)
count = count + 1

 Notice that this for statement uses


line, which is also the loop control
variable for the outer loop.

Python Programming, 2/e 43


Nested Loops
# average7.py
# Computes the average of numbers listed in a file.
# Works with multiple numbers on a line.

import string

def main():
fileName = input("What file are the numbers in? ")
infile = open(fileName,'r')
sum = 0.0
count = 0
line = infile.readline()
while line != "":
for xStr in line.split(","):
sum = sum + eval(xStr)
count = count + 1
line = infile.readline()
print("\nThe average of the numbers is", sum / count)

Python Programming, 2/e 44


Nested Loops
 The loop that processes the numbers in each
line is indented inside of the file processing
loop.
 The outer while loop iterates once for each
line of the file.
 For each iteration of the outer loop, the inner
for loop iterates as many times as there are
numbers on the line.
 When the inner loop finishes, the next line of
the file is read, and this process begins again.
Python Programming, 2/e 45
Nested Loops
 Designing nested loops –
 Design the outer loop without worrying
about what goes inside
 Design what goes inside, ignoring the
outer loop.
 Put the pieces together, preserving the
nesting.

Python Programming, 2/e 46


Computing with Booleans
 if and while both use Boolean
expressions.
 Boolean expressions evaluate to True
or False.
 So far we’ve used Boolean expressions
to compare two values, e.g.
(while x >= 0)

Python Programming, 2/e 47


Boolean Operators
 Sometimes our simple expressions do
not seem expressive enough.
 Suppose you need to determine
whether two points are in the same
position – their x coordinates are equal
and their y coordinates are equal.

Python Programming, 2/e 48


Boolean Operators
 if p1.getX() == p2.getX():
if p1.getY() == p2.getY():
# points are the same
else:
# points are different
else:
# points are different

 Clearly, this is an awkward way to evaluate


multiple Boolean expressions!
 Let’s check out the three Boolean operators
and, or, and not.

Python Programming, 2/e 49


Boolean Operators
 The Boolean operators and and or are
used to combine two Boolean
expressions and produce a Boolean
result.
 <expr> and <expr>
 <expr> or <expr>

Python Programming, 2/e 50


Boolean Operators
 The and of two expressions is true exactly
when both of the expressions are true.
 We can represent this in a truth table.

P Q P and Q
T T T
T F F
F T F
F F F
Python Programming, 2/e 51
Boolean Expressions
 In the truth table, P and Q represent
smaller Boolean expressions.
 Since each expression has two possible
values, there are four possible
combinations of values.
 The last column gives the value of P
and Q.

Python Programming, 2/e 52


Boolean Expressions
 The or of two expressions is true when
either expression is true.

P Q P or Q
T T T
T F T
F T T
F F F

Python Programming, 2/e 53


Boolean Expressions
 The only time or is false is when both
expressions are false.
 Also, note that or is true when both
expressions are true. This isn’t how we
normally use “or” in language.

Python Programming, 2/e 54


Boolean Operators
 The not operator computes the opposite of
a Boolean expression.
 not is a unary operator, meaning it
operates on a single expression.

P not P
T F
F T

Python Programming, 2/e 55


Boolean Operators
 We can put these operators together to
make arbitrarily complex Boolean
expressions.
 The interpretation of the expressions
relies on the precedence rules for the
operators.

Python Programming, 2/e 56


Boolean Operators
 Consider a or not b and c
 How should this be evaluated?
 The order of precedence, from high to low, is
not, and, or.
 This statement is equivalent to
(a or ((not b) and c))
 Since most people don’t memorize the the
Boolean precedence rules, use parentheses to
prevent confusion.

Python Programming, 2/e 57


Boolean Operators
 To test for the co-location of two
points, we could use an and.
 if p1.getX() == p2.getX() and p2.getY() == p1.getY():
# points are the same
else:
# points are different

 The entire condition will be true only


when both of the simpler conditions are
true.

Python Programming, 2/e 58


Boolean Operators
 Say you’re writing a racquetball simulation.
The game is over as soon as either player has
scored 15 points.
 How can you represent that in a Boolean
expression?
 scoreA == 15 or scoreB == 15

 When either of the conditions becomes true,


the entire expression is true. If neither
condition is true, the expression is false.

Python Programming, 2/e 59


Boolean Operators
 We want to construct a loop that
continues as long as the game is not
over.
 You can do this by taking the negation
of the game-over condition as your loop
condition!
 while not(scoreA == 15 or scoreB == 15):
#continue playing

Python Programming, 2/e 60


Boolean Operators
 Some racquetball players also use a
shutout condition to end the game,
where if one player has scored 7 points
and the other person hasn’t scored yet,
the game is over.
 while not(scoreA == 15 or scoreB == 15 or \
(scoreA == 7 and scoreB == 0) or (scoreB == 7 and scoreA == 0):
#continue playing

Python Programming, 2/e 61


Boolean Operators
 Let’s look at volleyball scoring. To win,
a volleyball team needs to win by at
least two points.
 In volleyball, a team wins at 15 points
 If the score is 15 – 14, play continues,
just as it does for 21 – 20.
 (a >= 15 and a - b >= 2) or (b >= 15 and b - a >= 2)
 (a >= 15 or b >= 15) and abs(a - b) >= 2

Python Programming, 2/e 62


Boolean Algebra
 The ability to formulate, manipulate,
and reason with Boolean expressions is
an important skill.
 Boolean expressions obey certain
algebraic laws called Boolean logic or
Boolean algebra.

Python Programming, 2/e 63


Boolean Algebra
Algebra Boolean algebra
a*0=0 a and false == false
a*1=a a and true == a
a+0=a a or false == a

 and has properties similar to multiplication


 or has properties similar to addition
 0 and 1 correspond to false and true,
respectively.
Python Programming, 2/e 64
Boolean Algebra
 Anything ored with true is true:
a or true == true
 Both and and or distribute:
a or (b and c) == (a or b) and (a or c)
a and (b or c) == (a and b) or (a and c)

 Double negatives cancel out:


not(not a) == a

 DeMorgan’s laws:
not(a or b) == (not a) and (not b)
not(a and b) == (not a) or (not b)

Python Programming, 2/e 65


Boolean Algebra
 We can use these rules to simplify our
Boolean expressions.
 while not(scoreA == 15 or scoreB == 15):
#continue playing

 This is saying something like “While it is not


the case that player A has 15 or player B has
15, continue playing.”
 Applying DeMorgan’s law:
while (not scoreA == 15) and (not scoreB == 15):
#continue playing

Python Programming, 2/e 66


Boolean Algebra
 This becomes:
while scoreA != 15 and scoreB != 15
# continue playing

 Isn’t this easier to understand? “While


player A has not reached 15 and player
B has not reached 15, continue
playing.”

Python Programming, 2/e 67


Boolean Algebra
 Sometimes it’s easier to figure out when a
loop should stop, rather than when the loop
should continue.
 In this case, write the loop termination
condition and put a not in front of it. After a
couple applications of DeMorgan’s law you
are ready to go with a simpler but equivalent
expression.

Python Programming, 2/e 68


Other Common Structures
 The if and while can be used to
express every conceivable algorithm.
 For certain problems, an alternative
structure can be convenient.

Python Programming, 2/e 69


Post-Test Loop
 Say we want to write a program that is
supposed to get a nonnegative number
from the user.
 If the user types an incorrect input, the
program asks for another value.
 This process continues until a valid
value has been entered.
 This process is input validation.

Python Programming, 2/e 70


Post-Test Loop
 repeat
get a number from the user
until number is >= 0

Python Programming, 2/e 71


Post-Test Loop
 When the condition test comes after the
body of the loop it’s called a post-test
loop.
 A post-test loop always executes the
body of the code at least once.
 Python doesn’t have a built-in
statement to do this, but we can do it
with a slightly modified while loop.

Python Programming, 2/e 72


Post-Test Loop
 We seed the loop condition so we’re
guaranteed to execute the loop once.
 number = -1
while number < 0:
number = eval(input("Enter a positive number: "))

 By setting number to –1, we force the


loop body to execute at least once.

Python Programming, 2/e 73


Post-Test Loop
 Some programmers prefer to simulate a
post-test loop by using the Python
break statement.
 Executing break causes Python to
immediately exit the enclosing loop.
 break is sometimes used to exit what
looks like an infinite loop.

Python Programming, 2/e 74


Post-Test Loop
 The same algorithm implemented with
a break:
while True:
number = eval(input("Enter a positive number: "))
if x >= 0: break # Exit loop if number is valid

 A while loop continues as long as the


expression evaluates to true. Since
True always evaluates to true, it looks
like an infinite loop!

Python Programming, 2/e 75


Post-Test Loop
 When the value of x is nonnegative, the
break statement executes, which
terminates the loop.
 If the body of an if is only one line
long, you can place it right after the :!
 Wouldn’t it be nice if the program gave
a warning when the input was invalid?

Python Programming, 2/e 76


Post-Test Loop
 In the while loop version, this is
awkward:
number = -1
while number < 0:
number = eval(input("Enter a positive number: "))
if number < 0:
print("The number you entered was not positive")

 We’re doing the validity check in two


places!

Python Programming, 2/e 77


Post-Test Loop
 Adding the warning to the break
version only adds an else statement:
while True:
number = eval(input("Enter a positive number: "))
if x >= 0:
break # Exit loop if number is valid
else:
print("The number you entered was not positive.")

Python Programming, 2/e 78


Loop and a Half
 Stylistically, some programmers prefer
the following approach:
while True:
number = eval(input("Enter a positive number: "))
if x >= 0: break # Loop exit
print("The number you entered was not positive")

 Here the loop exit is in the middle of


the loop body. This is what we mean by
a loop and a half.

Python Programming, 2/e 79


Loop and a Half
 The loop and a half is an elegant way to
avoid the priming read in a sentinel
loop.
 while True:
get next data item
if the item is the sentinel: break
process the item

 This method is faithful to the idea of


the sentinel loop, the sentinel value is
not processed!

Python Programming, 2/e 80


Loop and a Half

Python Programming, 2/e 81


Loop and a Half
 To use or not use break. That is the
question!
 The use of break is mostly a matter of
style and taste.
 Avoid using break often within loops,
because the logic of a loop is hard to
follow when there are multiple exits.

Python Programming, 2/e 82


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 Boolean expressions can be used as
control structures themselves.
 Suppose you’re writing a program that
keeps going as long as the user enters
a response that starts with ‘y’ (like our
interactive loop).
 One way you could do it:
while response[0] == "y" or response[0] == "Y":

Python Programming, 2/e 83


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 Be careful! You can’t take shortcuts:
while response[0] == "y" or "Y":

 Why doesn’t this work?


 Python has a bool type that internally uses 1
and 0 to represent True and False,
respectively.
 The Python condition operators, like ==,
always evaluate to a value of type bool.

Python Programming, 2/e 84


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 However, Python will let you evaluate
any built-in data type as a Boolean. For
numbers (int, float, and long ints), zero
is considered False, anything else is
considered True.

Python Programming, 2/e 85


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
>>> bool(0)
False
>>> bool(1)
True
>>> bool(32)
True
>>> bool("Hello")
True
>>> bool("")
False
>>> bool([1,2,3])
True
>>> bool([])
False

Python Programming, 2/e 86


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 An empty sequence is interpreted as
False while any non-empty sequence
is taken to mean True.
 The Boolean operators have operational
definitions that make them useful for
other purposes.

Python Programming, 2/e 87


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
Operator Operational
definition
x and y If x is false, return x.
Otherwise, return y.
x or y If x is true, return x.
Otherwise, return y.
not x If x is false, return True.
Otherwise, return False.

Python Programming, 2/e 88


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 Consider x and y. In order for this to be
true, both x and y must be true.
 As soon as one of them is found to be
false, we know the expression as a
whole is false and we don’t need to
finish evaluating the expression.
 So, if x is false, Python should return a
false result, namely x.

Python Programming, 2/e 89


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 If x is true, then whether the
expression as a whole is true or false
depends on y.
 By returning y, if y is true, then true is
returned. If y is false, then false is
returned.

Python Programming, 2/e 90


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 These definitions show that Python’s
Booleans are short-circuit operators,
meaning that a true or false is returned
as soon as the result is known.
 In an and where the first expression is
false and in an or, where the first
expression is true, Python will not
evaluate the second expression.
Python Programming, 2/e 91
Boolean Expressions as
Decisions
 response[0] == "y" or "Y“

 The Boolean operator is combining two


operations.
 Here’s an equivalent expression:
(response[0] == "y") or ("Y")

 By the operational description of or, this


expression returns either True, if
response[0] equals “y”, or “Y”, both of which
are interpreted by Python as true.

Python Programming, 2/e 92


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 Sometimes we write programs that
prompt for information but offer a
default value obtained by simply
pressing <Enter>
 Since the string used by ans can be
treated as a Boolean, the code can be
further simplified.

Python Programming, 2/e 93


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 ans = input("What flavor fo you want [vanilla]: ")
if ans:
flavor = ans
else:
flavor = "vanilla"

 If the user just hits <Enter>, ans will


be an empty string, which Python
interprets as false.

Python Programming, 2/e 94


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 We can code this even more succinctly!
ans = input("What flavor fo you want [vanilla]: ")
flavor = ans or "vanilla“

 Remember, any non-empty answer is


interpreted as True.
 This exercise could be boiled down into
one line!
flavor = input("What flavor do you want
[vanilla]:” ) or "vanilla"

Python Programming, 2/e 95


Boolean Expressions
as Decisions
 Again, if you understand this method,
feel free to utilize it. Just make sure
that if your code is tricky, that it’s well
documented!

Python Programming, 2/e 96

You might also like