Python has a built-in function for computing absolute values.

>>> abs(-2)
2

We would like to be able to implement such a function ourselves, but we have no obvious way to define a function that has a comparison and a choice. We would like to express that if x is positive, abs(x) returns x. Furthermore, if x is 0, abs(x) returns 0. Otherwise, abs(x) returns -x. In Python, we can express this choice with a conditional statement.

This implementation of absolute_value raises several important issues:

Conditional statements. A conditional statement in Python consists of a series of headers and suites: a required if clause, an optional sequence of elif clauses, and finally an optional else clause:

if <expression>:
    <suite>
elif <expression>:
    <suite>
else:
    <suite>

When executing a conditional statement, each clause is considered in order. The computational process of executing a conditional clause follows.

1. Evaluate the header's expression.
2. If it is a true value, execute the suite. Then, skip over all subsequent clauses in the conditional statement.

If the else clause is reached (which only happens if all if and elif expressions evaluate to false values), its suite is executed.

Boolean contexts. Above, the execution procedures mention "a false value" and "a true value." The expressions inside the header statements of conditional blocks are said to be in boolean contexts: their truth values matter to control flow, but otherwise their values are not assigned or returned. Python includes several false values, including 0, None, and the boolean value False. All other numbers are true values. In Chapter 2, we will see that every built-in kind of data in Python has both true and false values.

Boolean values. Python has two boolean values, called True and False. Boolean values represent truth values in logical expressions. The built-in comparison operations, >, <, >=, <=, ==, !=, return these values.

>>> 4 < 2
False
>>> 5 >= 5
True

This second example reads "5 is greater than or equal to 5", and corresponds to the function ge in the operator module.

>>> 0 == -0
True

This final example reads "0 equals -0", and corresponds to eq in the operator module. Notice that Python distinguishes assignment (=) from equality comparison (==), a convention shared across many programming languages.

Boolean operators. Three basic logical operators are also built into Python:

>>> True and False
False
>>> True or False
True
>>> not False
True

Logical expressions have corresponding evaluation procedures. These procedures exploit the fact that the truth value of a logical expression can sometimes be determined without evaluating all of its subexpressions, a feature called short-circuiting.

To evaluate the expression <left> and <right>:

1. Evaluate the subexpression <left>.
2. If the result is a false value v, then the expression evaluates to v.
3. Otherwise, the expression evaluates to the value of the subexpression <right>.

To evaluate the expression <left> or <right>:

1. Evaluate the subexpression <left>.
2. If the result is a true value v, then the expression evaluates to v.
3. Otherwise, the expression evaluates to the value of the subexpression <right>.

To evaluate the expression not <exp>:

1. Evaluate <exp>; The value is True if the result is a false value, and False otherwise.

These values, rules, and operators provide us with a way to combine the results of comparisons. Functions that perform comparisons and return boolean values typically begin with is, not followed by an underscore (e.g., isfinite, isdigit, isinstance, etc.).