Identity Operators in Python

What is Identity Operators

Identity operators in Python are used to check if two variables point to the same object in memory. Even if two variables have the same value, it does not mean they are the same object.

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There are 2 types of identity operators in Python and they are:

• is
• is not

Now let's see the examples of the identity operators one by one for more understanding.

is Operator

The is operator checks if two variables refer to the same object in memory. If they are identical, the result is True; otherwise, it is False.

a = 15         # integer value
b = 15         # integer value
c = "apple"    # string value
d = "apple"    # string value
e = [1, 2, 3]    # list
f = [1, 2, 3]    # list
x = a is b     # output of x is True
y = c is d     # output of y is True
z = e is f     # output of z is False

In the example above, the output of x is True because both variables a and b are of integer type and have the same value. Similarly, the output of y is True because both variables c and d are strings with the same value. However, the output of z is False because both variables e and f are lists stored in different memory locations.

In the case of lists, even if their values are the same, they are not identical because they are stored in different memory locations.

is not Operator

The is not operator checks if two variables are not identical (do not refer to the same object). If they are not identical, the result is True; otherwise, it is False.

a = 15         # integer value
b = 15         # integer value
c = "apple"    # string value
d = "ball"     # string value
e = [1, 2, 3]    # list
f = [1, 2, 3]    # list
x = a is not b     # output of x is False
y = c is not d     # output of y is True
z = e is not f     # output of z is True

In the example above, the output of x is False because both variables a and b are of integer type and have the same value. However, the output of y is True because both variables c and d are strings, but their values are not the same. Similarly, the output of z is True because both variables e and f are lists stored in different memory locations.