If statement execution flow in Python - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - If statement execution flow

Start

↓

Evaluate condition

↓

Execute if-block

↓

End if-block

No↓

Skip if-block

↓

End

The program checks the condition. If true, it runs the if-block. If false, it skips it and continues.

Execution Sample

Python

x = 10
if x > 5:
    print("x is greater than 5")
print("Done")

Checks if x is greater than 5, prints a message if true, then prints 'Done'.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Condition (x > 5)	Branch Taken	Output
1	Evaluate condition	10 > 5	Yes
2	Execute if-block			x is greater than 5
3	Execute next statement			Done
4	End			Program ends

💡 Condition true at step 1, if-block executed; program ends after printing all outputs.

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	Final
x	10	10	10	10

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does the program print 'x is greater than 5'?

Because at step 1 in the execution table, the condition 'x > 5' is true, so the if-block runs and prints the message.

What happens if the condition is false?

The program skips the if-block (see branch 'No' in concept flow) and directly executes the next statement after the if-block.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the output at step 2?

A "x is greater than 5"

B "Done"

C No output

D Error

💡 Hint

Check the 'Output' column at step 2 in the execution_table.

At which step does the program decide to skip the if-block if the condition was false?

A Step 2

B Step 1

C Step 3

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Condition' and 'Branch Taken' columns at step 1 in the execution_table.

If x was 3 instead of 10, what would be the output at step 3?

A "x is greater than 5"

B No output

C "Done"

D Error

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker and execution_table to see how condition affects output.

Concept Snapshot

If statement syntax:
if condition:
    # code runs if condition is true

Behavior:
- Condition checked first
- If true, run code inside if-block
- If false, skip if-block

Key rule: Only runs if condition is true.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how an if statement works in Python. The program starts by evaluating the condition. If the condition is true, it runs the code inside the if-block. If false, it skips that code and continues. In the example, x is 10, so the condition 'x > 5' is true. The program prints 'x is greater than 5' and then prints 'Done'. Variables like x keep their values throughout. If x was less or equal to 5, the if-block would be skipped and only 'Done' would print. This helps beginners see exactly how the if statement controls the flow of the program step-by-step.