What Is Boolean Expression?

Now, let's get down to brass tacks. Any expression with only two possible values—true or false—is called a Boolean expression. Famous 19th-century mathematician George Boole is credited with developing the idea. You may ponder, "All right, but why bother with Boolean expressions?" In computer science and programming, they are invaluable because they allow us to direct the execution of code based on various variables. Consider the case where you are developing a program that requires users to enter their age. As an example of a valid Boolean expression, try age >= 18. In other words, if the user is 18 or older, the expression will evaluate as true, but otherwise, it will evaluate as false. This expression could then be used to determine whether or not a user is authorized to use a given feature of your software. Yes, but there's more! Furthermore, logical operators like AND, OR, and NOT can be used to combine Boolean expressions. We can use these operators to check for multiple conditions simultaneously to build more complex expressions. Example: using the AND operator to determine if a user is over 18 and has provided a valid email address: age >= 18 AND valid email == True. If both conditions hold, then this expression will be evaluated as true. Conversely, using the OR operator, we can see if either of the two conditions, age >= 18 OR has parental consent == True, holds true. If the user is at least 18 or has their parents' permission, this expression will evaluate as true. Last, we can invert an expression's truth value using the NOT operator, as in NOT (age >= 18). Unless the user is over 18, this expression will always return false. That's it; consider the matter settled. The ability to create complex logical conditions with only a few statements and operators is one of the many reasons why Boolean expressions are so helpful in computer programming. Understanding Boolean expressions will allow you to write better code, whether making a website, creating a game, or conducting research.