What is short-circuit evaluation in Python?

What is short-circuit evaluation in Python?

Short-circuit evaluation is a programming technique where the second argument is evaluated only if the first argument is not sufficient to determine the value of the expression.

Can you give me an example of short-circuit evaluation?

Sure! In Python, consider the expression a and b. If a is False, Python won't evaluate b because the whole expression can't be True.

What about with the 'or' operator?

With a or b, if a is True, Python won't evaluate b since the expression is already True.

Are there any practical uses for this?

Yes, it can improve performance by avoiding unnecessary evaluations and can also prevent errors by not executing code that relies on the second operand.