.. _boolean-expressions:

Boolean Expressions
===================

A `Boolean expression <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_expression>`_ is a question that has two possible values or outcomes, either a “True” or a “False” (or you can look at it as a 1 or a 0). An example of a Boolean expression is, “A Volkswagen beetle is a car.” Clearly this statement is true, so that is how it is evaluated to "True". You could also have, “A frog is a mammal.” This statement is not correct, so it evaluates to "False." You could also have mathematical expression, “3+2 = 6.” This equation (and yes it is an equation so you read the “=” as “is equal”) is not correct, so it is also evaluated to, "False." There are many other types of expressions that can be checked, besides equality. You could have an inequality like, “3+2 <= 6.” This time the inequality is evaluated as, "True" since 5 is less than or equal to 6. Some of the most common operators for Boolean expressions in computer science are:

+------------+-------------------------+
| Operator   | Meaning                 | 
+============+=========================+ 
| == or eq   | Equal to                | 
+------------+-------------------------+ 
| <          | Less than               | 
+------------+-------------------------+ 
| >          | Greater than            | 
+------------+-------------------------+ 
| <=         | Less than or equal to   | 
+------------+-------------------------+ 
| >=         | Greater than or equal to| 
+------------+-------------------------+ 
| <> or !=   | Not equal to            | 
+------------+-------------------------+