Comparison magic methods in Python - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to define the method that checks if two objects are equal.

Python

class Box:
    def __eq__(self, other):
        return self.size [1] other.size

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A!=

B=

C==

D>

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a single '=' which is assignment, not comparison.

Using '!=' which checks for inequality.

The __eq__ method should return True if the sizes are equal, so we use the == operator.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define the method that checks if one object is less than another.

Python

class Box:
    def __lt__(self, other):
        return self.weight [1] other.weight

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A<

B>

C==

D>=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '>' which means greater than.

Using '==' which means equal.

The __lt__ method means 'less than', so we use the < operator.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the method that checks if one object is greater than or equal to another.

Python

class Box:
    def __ge__(self, other):
        return self.height [1] other.height

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A<=

B>=

C=>

D==

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '=>' which is not a valid Python operator.

Using '<=' which means less than or equal.

The correct operator for 'greater than or equal to' is >=. The symbol => is invalid in Python.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps words to their lengths only if the length is greater than 3.

Python

words = ['apple', 'bat', 'carrot', 'dog']
lengths = {word: [1] for word in words if len(word) [2] 3}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Alen(word)

B>

C<

Dword

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the word itself as the value instead of its length.

Using '<' instead of '>' in the condition.

The dictionary maps each word to its length, so the value is len(word). The condition keeps words longer than 3, so the operator is >.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary comprehension that maps uppercase keys to values only if the value is positive.

Python

data = {'a': 1, 'b': -2, 'c': 3}
result = { [1]: [2] for k, v in data.items() if v [3] 0 }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ak.upper()

Bv

C>

Dk

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using original keys without uppercase.

Using '<' instead of '>' in the condition.

Swapping keys and values.

The keys are converted to uppercase with k.upper(). The values are v. The condition keeps values greater than 0, so the operator is >.

Practice

1. Which magic method in Python is used to define the behavior of the equality operator ==?

easy

A. __eq__

B. __lt__

C. __ne__

D. __gt__

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the equality operator

   The == operator checks if two objects are equal.

2. Step 2: Identify the corresponding magic method

   In Python, __eq__ is the method that defines equality behavior.

3. Final Answer:

   __eq__ -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Equality operator uses __eq__ [OK]

Hint: Remember: eq means equal, so __eq__ handles == [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing __eq__ with __lt__ or __gt__
• Thinking __ne__ handles equality
• Mixing up method names with comparison operators

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to define the less than operator < in a Python class?

easy

A. def __lt__(self):

B. def __less_than__(self, other):

C. def __less__(self, other):

D. def __lt__(self, other):

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the magic method name for <

   The method for < is __lt__ and it takes two parameters: self and other.

2. Step 2: Check method signature correctness

   Correct syntax is def __lt__(self, other):. Other options have wrong names or missing parameters.

3. Final Answer:

   def __lt__(self, other): -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Less than operator uses __lt__(self, other) [OK]

Hint: Magic methods for comparisons always take self and other [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong method names like __less_than__
• Omitting the other parameter
• Using incorrect method signatures

3. What will be the output of the following code?

class Number:
    def __init__(self, value):
        self.value = value
    def __gt__(self, other):
        return self.value > other.value

n1 = Number(5)
n2 = Number(3)
print(n1 > n2)

medium

A. False

B. TypeError

C. True

D. None

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the __gt__ method

   The __gt__ method compares self.value and other.value.

2. Step 2: Evaluate the comparison

   n1.value is 5 and n2.value is 3, so 5 > 3 is True.

3. Final Answer:

   True -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   5 > 3 = True [OK]

Hint: Check the values inside objects when comparing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to compare attributes inside objects
• Expecting print to show object addresses
• Confusing __gt__ with __lt__

4. Identify the error in the following class that tries to implement the not equal operator !=:

class Item:
    def __init__(self, val):
        self.val = val
    def __ne__(self):
        return self.val != other.val

medium

A. The class should inherit from object explicitly

B. __ne__ method is missing the other parameter

C. The __ne__ method should return True always

D. The __init__ method is missing self

Solution

1. Step 1: Check __ne__ method signature

   The __ne__ method must take two parameters: self and other.

2. Step 2: Identify missing parameter

   Here, other is used but not declared as a parameter, causing an error.

3. Final Answer:

   __ne__ method is missing the other parameter -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   __ne__ needs (self, other) parameters [OK]

Hint: Comparison methods always take self and other [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting the other parameter in comparison methods
• Misunderstanding method signatures
• Thinking inheritance from object is required in Python 3

5. You want to create a class Box where two boxes are considered equal if their volumes are equal. Which magic method should you implement and how?

class Box:
    def __init__(self, length, width, height):
        self.length = length
        self.width = width
        self.height = height
    # Your code here

hard

A. Implement __eq__(self, other) to compare volumes: return self.length * self.width * self.height == other.length * other.width * other.height

B. Implement __lt__(self, other) to compare volumes

C. Implement __ne__(self, other) to compare volumes

D. Implement __gt__(self, other) to compare volumes

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the comparison needed

   Equality means using ==, so implement __eq__.

2. Step 2: Define volume comparison inside __eq__

   Calculate volume for both boxes and compare for equality.

3. Final Answer:

   Implement __eq__(self, other) to compare volumes: return self.length * self.width * self.height == other.length * other.width * other.height -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Equality uses __eq__ comparing volumes [OK]

Hint: Use __eq__ to define equality based on volume [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using __lt__ or __gt__ for equality
• Not comparing volumes but attributes directly
• Forgetting to implement __eq__ for == operator