Python Ternary Operator

by Anuj Kumar

In Python, the ternary operator is a concise way of writing simple conditional expressions. It allows you to write an expression with a compact syntax that evaluates to one of two values based on a condition. The syntax of the ternary operator is as follows:

value_if_true if condition else value_if_false

1	value_if_true if condition else value_if_false

Here’s how it works:

The condition is evaluated first.
If the condition is True, the value_if_true is returned.
If the condition is False, the value_if_false is returned.

Example 1: Simple ternary operator

x = 10
result = "Positive" if x > 0 else "Non-positive"
print(result)  # Output: "Positive"

x = 10

result = "Positive" if x > 0 else "Non-positive"

print(result) # Output: "Positive"

Example 2: Using ternary operator to assign variables

temperature = 25
weather = "Hot" if temperature > 30 else "Warm"
print(weather)  # Output: "Warm"

temperature = 25

weather = "Hot" if temperature > 30 else "Warm"

print(weather) # Output: "Warm"

Example 3: Using ternary operator for calculations

x = 12
y = 8
max_value = x if x > y else y
print(max_value)  # Output: 12

x = 12

y = 8

max_value = x if x > y else y

print(max_value) # Output: 12

It’s essential to use the ternary operator judiciously to keep code readable. If the expression becomes too complex, it might be better to use traditional if-else blocks for better readability and maintainability.

Example: Check if a number is even or odd using the ternary operator.

# Input number
num = 7

# Check if the number is even or odd using the ternary operator
result = "Even" if num % 2 == 0 else "Odd"

# Output the result
print(f"The number {num} is {result}.")

# Input number

num = 7

# Check if the number is even or odd using the ternary operator

result = "Even" if num % 2 == 0 else "Odd"

# Output the result

print(f"The number {num} is {result}.")

In this example, we have a variable num containing the input number 7. We use the ternary operator to check if the number is even or odd. The condition num % 2 == 0 checks whether the remainder of num divided by 2 is 0. If it’s 0, the number is even, and "Even" is assigned to the variable result. Otherwise, the number is odd, and "Odd" is assigned to result.