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Boolean type

Java Syntax
Level 4 , Lesson 7
Available

A lecture snippet with a mentor as part of the Codegym University course. Sign up for the full course.


"Hi, Amigo. Let me tell you about a new data type. The boolean. Variables of this type can take only two values: true and false."

"How do we use it?"

"This type is implicitly used in many places. Just as any addition operation produces a number, the result of any comparison is a boolean. Here are some examples:"

Code Explanation
1
boolean m;
These two expressions are equivalent. The default value of a boolean variable is false.
2
boolean m = false;
3
if (a > b)
    System.out.println(a);
The result of the comparison (either true or false) will be assigned to the variable m. The condition is satisfied if the expression evaluates to true.
4
boolean m = (a > b);
if (m)
    System.out.println(a);
5
boolean m = (a > b);
if (m == true)
    System.out.println(a);
There is no need to compare a logical (boolean) variable with true or false. The result of the comparison will be a boolean that matches the other variable. For example, true == true evaluates to true; true == false evaluates to false.
6
boolean m = (a > b);
if (m)
    System.out.println(a);

"More examples:"

Code Explanation
1
public boolean isALessThanB (int a, int b)
{
    if (a < b)
        return true;
    else
        return false;
}
This method verifies that number a is less than number b.

Here are four equivalent comparisons. The last one is the most compact and correct. Always try to use compact notation.

2
public boolean isALessThanB (int a, int b)
{
   boolean m = (a < b);
    if (m)
        return true;
    else
        return false;
}
3
public boolean isALessThanB (int a, int b)
{
    boolean m = (a < b);
    return m;
}
4
public boolean isALessThanB (int a, int b)
{
    return a < b;
}

"What if I want to write 0<a<b?"

"Java doesn't have a comparison operator that takes three operands. So, you would need to do it like this: (0<a) AND (a<b)."

"Do I write the word AND?"

"Wait. I'll explain that. Java has three logical operators: AND, OR and NOT. You can use them to construct conditions of varying complexity. You can use these operators only with boolean expressions. So, you can't write (a+1) AND (3), but (a>1)AND (a<3) is OK."

"The NOT operator is unary: it affects only the expression to the right. It's more like a minus sign before a negative number rather than a multiplication sign between two numbers."

"You can perform various operations on boolean (logical) variables."

"Like what?"

"Let's take a look:"

Logical operator Java notation Expression Result
AND && true && true true
true && false false
false && true false
false && false false
OR || true || true true
true || false true
false || true true
false || false false
NOT ! ! true false
! false true
Common combinations and expressions m && !m false
m || !m true
! (a && b) !a || !b
! (a || b) !a && !b

"Could you give me more examples?"

"Sure:"

Java notation Logical notation
(a<3) && (a>0) (a < 3) AND (a>0)
(a>10) || (a<100) (a>10) OR (a<100)
(a<b) && (!(c<=d)) (a<b) AND (NOT (c<=d))

"Now, do some tasks."

Comments (97)
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Anonymous #11655448 Level 14, New York City, United States
21 August 2025
import java.util.Scanner; might make the input process easier
Anonymous #11672331 Level 9, Columbus, United States
24 July 2025
Ya’ll can just use Scanner if y’all want to make it more easier
Anonymous #11639769 Level 6, Coconut Creek, United States
4 June 2025
I used a counter to add 1 for each case that was true.
BaDZeR Level 6, Doha, Qatar
27 January 2025
Is it just me or are the problems labeled as medium difficulty are easier than the ones labeled as easy?
rags 3 Level 5, Wichita, United States Expert
28 April 2024
first one got me tried the %2== but positive and negative numbers return positive and negative numbers keep in mind
Justin Level 5, Taiwan, Province of China
21 March 2024
Using boolean makes the code look cleaner I think.
SvenskKung Level 10, United States of America, United States
4 October 2023
I was stuck on the first medium problem for a long time, utilizing an entirely incorrect approach. I believe my approach got the right answer but it wasn't accepted. Consider the various approaches you have available to you. You don't need to utilize anything that hasn't been presented yet in a lesson or video.
L Level 6, Dearborn, United States
18 August 2023
It says unknown error but I tested my code in IntelliJ and all my test cases passed. So I'm not sure why it's failing here. Case 1: all pos nums Case 2: all neg nums Case 3: all 0's Case 4: mix pos and neg (no 0's) Case 5: mix of pos and 0's Case 6: mix of pos, neg, 0's Case 7: mix of neg and 0's
Laura Veerkamp Level 6, Netherlands
7 September 2023
You shouldn't define all possibilities but rather add 1 or not when considering values. Look at the solution.
rags 3 Level 5, Wichita, United States Expert
2 July 2023
I love this sometimes it will give you code thats incredibly long but you can figure out ways to shorten and its challenging im usually wrong with right concept that i have to figure out how to implement right I love the fact that there is not just one way to solve the problems.
rags 3 Level 5, Wichita, United States Expert
1 July 2023
i think some times its buggy lol cause my code is working fine why why why