Comparison operators

A comparison operator is an operator which usually compares two values.

It then gives a boolean result, which we can use to make decisions in our code (e.g. in if statements or loops).

The key thing is that they evaluate to a boolean value (true or false).

Cheatsheet

Operator	Name	Description	Example	Result
==	Equal to	Returns true if both values are equal	5 == 5	true
!=	Not equal to	Returns true if both values are not equal	5 != 3	true
>	Greater than	Returns true if the left value is greater than the right value	7 > 4	true
<	Less than	Returns true if the left value is less than the right value	2 < 5	true
>=	Greater than or equal to	Returns true if the left value is greater than or equal to the right value	6 >= 6	true
<=	Less than or equal to	Returns true if the left value is less than or equal to the right value	3 <= 4	true

Equal to (==)

The equal to operator (==) checks if two values are the same.

• If they are the same, it returns true.
• If they are different, it returns false.

int a = 5;
int b = 3;
bool result = (a == b); // true

Because the value of a (5) is not equal to the value of b (3), the comparison will evaluate to false.

Not equal to (!=)

The not equal to operator (!=) checks if two values are different.

• If they are the same, it returns false.
• If they are different, it returns true.

int a = 5;
int b = 3;
bool result = (a != b); // true

Because the value of a (5) is different from the value of b (3), the comparison will evaluate to true.

Greater than (>)

The greater than operator (>) checks if the value on the left is larger than the value on the right.

• If the left value is smaller or equal, it returns false.
• If the left value is larger, it returns true.

int a = 7;
int b = 4;
bool result = (a > b); // true

Because the value of a (7) is larger than the value of b (4), the comparison will evaluate to true.

Less than (<)

The less than operator (<) checks if the value on the left is smaller than the value on the right.

• If the left value is smaller, it returns true.
• If the left value is larger or equal, it returns false.

int a = 2;
int b = 5;
bool result = (a < b); // true

Because the value of a (2) is smaller than the value of b (5), the comparison will evaluate to true.

Greater than or equal to (>=)

This operator (>=) checks if the value on the left is larger than or equal to the value on the right.

• If the left value is larger or equal, it returns true.
• If the left value is smaller, it returns false.

int a = 6;
int b = 6;
bool result = (a >= b); // true

Because the value of a (6) is equal to the value of b (6), the comparison will evaluate to true.

int a = 8;
int b = 5;
bool result = (a >= b); // true

Because the value of a (8) is larger than the value of b (5), the comparison will evaluate to true.

Less than or equal to (<=)

This operator (<=) checks if the value on the left is smaller than or equal to the value on the right.

• If the left value is smaller or equal, it returns true.
• If the left value is larger, it returns false.

int a = 4;
int b = 4;
bool result = (a <= b); // true

Because the value of a (4) is equal to the value of b (4), the comparison will evaluate to true.

int a = 7;
int b = 5;
bool result = (a <= b); // false

Because the value of a (7) is larger than the value of b (5), the comparison will evaluate to false.