Python if wrong answer

Question

temp = '32'
if temp > 85:
      print "Hot"
elif temp > 62:
      print "Comfortable" 
else:
      print "Cold"

Why does it give output 'Hot' , shouldn't it be 'Cold' ?

Sterling Archer · Answer 1 · 2015-03-23T21:02:45.413

6

Because temp is a string and not an integer.

For Benji: we know it's a string because the value assigned to the variable is wrapped in single quotes!

More for Benji: we know it's not an integer because if it was, it would be quote-less! temp = 34 like so

edited Mar 23 '15 at 21:02

answered Mar 23 '15 at 16:48

Sterling Archer

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Best answer in the world, truly inspirational. – Benjamin Gruenbaum Mar 23 '15 at 20:56
Can you please explain how we know `temp` is a string? – Benjamin Gruenbaum Mar 23 '15 at 20:58
Thanks for the clarification! How do we know it's not an integer though? – Benjamin Gruenbaum Mar 23 '15 at 21:01

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:24

4

As others have said, you are comparing a string to an integer, and should really just compare integers to one another. The reason why it returns True however, is because :

>>> type('32')  
<type 'str'>
>>> type(85)
<type 'int'>
>>> 'str' > 'int 
True

If you were curious how different types are evaluated in Python 2.7 with <:

>>> """any number type""" < dict() < list() < set() < str() < tuple()
True

Note that as mentioned by Martijn Pieters in the comments, number types are placed explicitly before all other types, and this behavior is not a result of the alphabetical sorting of type names.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:24

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answered Mar 23 '15 at 16:51

miradulo

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`'str' > 'int'` is just a coincidence here. Python explicitly puts numbers before other types, that has no connection to the alphabetical sorting order of their type names. – Martijn Pieters Mar 23 '15 at 17:18

score 2 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:31

2

By putting quotes around '32', you're defining it as a string, and then comparing it to an int.

Python evaluates strings to be 'greater than' ints, based on the type name: How does Python compare string and int?

Just remove the quotes around '32', and it'll work.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:31

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answered Mar 23 '15 at 16:51

Rakesh Guha

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score 0 · Answer 4 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:28

0

You are comparing a string to an integer. Strings are always greater than integers regardless of their content. See here for more on why this is the case. Just make your variable an integer.

edited May 23 '17 at 10:28

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answered Mar 23 '15 at 16:49

Malik Brahimi

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score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 23 '15 at 16:54

Remove the single quotations around the number temp I.e.

temp = 42

Not

temp = '42'

This is due to letters and number strings are coverted to their ASCII equivalent then compared. An example of this is the letter 'A' = 0, 'a' = 30. You can look these values up online for more understanding.

Python if wrong answer

5 Answers5