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Python Identity Operators

How to use Python's is and is not identity operators to check if variables reference the same memory object, not just equal values.

Identity Operators

Identity operators are used to check if two values are located on the same part of the memory.

Operator Description Example
is True if the operands are identical (refer to the same object) x is True
is not True if the operands are not identical (do not refer to the same object) x is not True

Examples

a = 10
b = 20
c = a

print(a is b)     # False
print(a is not b) # True

print(a is c)     # True
print(c is a)     # True
print(a is not c) # False
print(c is not a) # False

print(a is a)     # True
print(a is not a) # False
print(b is b)     # True
print(b is not b) # False
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