Boolean Data Type in Python

In Python, the Boolean data type represents one of two possible values:

• True
• False

Booleans are widely used in control flow, comparisons, and logical operations. They are the foundation of decision-making in any Python program.

Key Characteristics of Booleans

• Type: bool
• Possible Values: True, False (case-sensitive)
• Used in: Conditional statements, logical operations, loops, and functions.

Boolean Values in Python

is_active = True
is_closed = False
print(type(is_active))

<class 'bool'>

Explanation:

• True and False are Python keywords representing Boolean values.
• The type of a Boolean variable is bool.

Boolean Expressions

Boolean values often arise from expressions using comparison operators:

a = 10
b = 20
 
print(a > b)
print(a < b)
print(a == 10)

False
True
True

Explanation:

• Comparisons (>, <, ==, !=, >=, <=) produce Boolean results.
• These expressions are used in conditional logic and control flow.

Logical Operators: and, or, not

x = True
y = False
 
print(x and y)   # True only if both are True
print(x or y)    # True if at least one is True
print(not x)     # Inverts the Boolean value

False
True
False

Explanation:

Example 1: Booleans in Conditional Statements

is_logged_in = True
 
if is_logged_in:
    print("Welcome back!")
else:
    print("Please log in.")

Welcome back!

Explanation:

• Booleans control which branch of an if statement is executed.

Example 2: Boolean Conversion (bool())

Any Python object can be converted to a Boolean using bool():

print(bool(0))          # False
print(bool(1))          # True
print(bool(""))         # False (empty string)
print(bool("Python"))   # True (non-empty string)

False
True
False
True

Rules:

Example 3: Using Booleans in Loops

counter = 0
 
while counter < 3:
    print("Counter is:", counter)
    counter += 1

Counter is: 0
Counter is: 1
Counter is: 2

Explanation:

• The condition counter < 3 returns a Boolean.
• The loop runs while this condition is True.

Example 4: Combining Comparisons with Logical Operators

score = 85
passed = score >= 50 and score <= 100
print("Passed:", passed)

Passed: True

Explanation:

• Multiple comparisons can be combined using and, or to form complex conditions.

Summary

• The Boolean data type represents logical values: True and False.
• Booleans are used in comparisons, conditional logic, and loops.
• Logical operators (and, or, not) help combine or modify conditions.
• Non-Boolean types can be converted using bool() based on Python’s truthy/falsy rules.

Next, we will explore the Binary Data Types in Python — used for working with binary data like files and byte streams.