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Assignment Operators in Python

Python Assignment Operators

Assignment operators in Python are used to assign values to variables. They can also be used to perform operations on variables and assign the result back to the same variable. Here's an overview of the various assignment operators and their usage.

Basic Assignment Operator (=)

The = operator is used to assign a value to a variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5
print(x)  # Output: 5

Compound Assignment Operators

Compound assignment operators combine an operation with assignment, allowing you to modify a variable and update its value in a single step.

1. Addition Assignment (+=)

Adds a value to a variable and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5
x += 3  # Same as: x = x + 3
print(x)  # Output: 8

2. Subtraction Assignment (-=)

Subtracts a value from a variable and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5
x -= 3  # Same as: x = x - 3
print(x)  # Output: 2

3. Multiplication Assignment (*=)

Multiplies a variable by a value and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5
x *= 3  # Same as: x = x * 3
print(x)  # Output: 15

4. Division Assignment (/=)

Divides a variable by a value and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 9
x /= 3  # Same as: x = x / 3
print(x)  # Output: 3.0

5. Modulus Assignment (%=)

Applies the modulus operation to a variable and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 10
x %= 3  # Same as: x = x % 3
print(x)  # Output: 1

6. Floor Division Assignment (//=)

Performs floor division and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 10
x //= 3  # Same as: x = x // 3
print(x)  # Output: 3

7. Exponentiation Assignment (**=)

Raises a variable to the power of a value and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 2
x **= 3  # Same as: x = x ** 3
print(x)  # Output: 8

Bitwise Assignment Operators

These operators perform bitwise operations and assign the result back to the variable.

8. Bitwise AND Assignment (&=)

Performs a bitwise AND operation and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5  # Binary: 101
x &= 3  # Binary: 011, Result: 001
print(x)  # Output: 1

9. Bitwise OR Assignment (|=)

Performs a bitwise OR operation and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5  # Binary: 101
x |= 3  # Binary: 011, Result: 111
print(x)  # Output: 7

10. Bitwise XOR Assignment (^=)

Performs a bitwise XOR operation and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 5  # Binary: 101
x ^= 3  # Binary: 011, Result: 110
print(x)  # Output: 6

11. Right Shift Assignment (>>=)

Shifts the bits of the variable to the right and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

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x = 8  # Binary: 1000
x >>= 2  # Shift 2 bits right, Result: 0010
print(x)  # Output: 2

12. Left Shift Assignment (<<=)

Shifts the bits of the variable to the left and assigns the result to the variable.

Example:

python

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x = 2  # Binary: 0010
x <<= 2  # Shift 2 bits left, Result: 1000
print(x)  # Output: 8

13. The Walrus Operator (:=)

Introduced in Python 3.8, the walrus operator (:=) allows you to assign a value to a variable as part of an expression.

Example:

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print(x := 3)  # Output: 3

The walrus operator is especially useful in conditional statements or loops where assignment is needed within the expression.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Python assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. These operators allow for performing operations while assigning values.

An assignment operator assigns a value to a variable. For example: x = 10. Here, = is the assignment operator, assigning the value 10 to x.

Python has several assignment operators for different operations. These include = (assign), += (add and assign), -= (subtract and assign), *= (multiply and assign), /= (divide and assign), //= (floor divide and assign), %= (modulus and assign), and **= (exponentiate and assign).

The := operator, also known as the walrus operator, allows assignment within expressions. It assigns a value to a variable and returns that value. For example, in if (n := len(my_list)) > 5:, it assigns the length of my_list to n within the if condition.

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