Break and Continue Statements in Python – 18

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Break and Continue Statements in Python

In previous lessons, we learned how loops help us repeat tasks efficiently. Today, we will learn about Break and Continue, two important statements used to control loop execution.

These statements give programmers more control over loops.

What is the Break Statement?

The "break" statement immediately stops a loop.

When Python encounters "break", the loop terminates and execution continues after the loop.

Example of Break

for number in range(1, 6):
if number == 4:
break

print(number)

Output

1
2
3

The loop stops when the value becomes 4.

Using Break in While Loops

Example

count = 1

while True:
print(count)

if count == 5:
    break

count += 1

Output

1
2
3
4
5

What is the Continue Statement?

The "continue" statement skips the current iteration and moves to the next iteration.

Example of Continue

for number in range(1, 6):
if number == 3:
continue

print(number)

Output

1
2
4
5

The value 3 is skipped.

Difference Between Break and Continue

Statement| Function
break| Stops the loop completely
continue| Skips current iteration

Example Using Both

for number in range(1, 10):

if number == 3:
    continue

if number == 8:
    break

print(number)

Output

1
2
4
5
6
7

Real-World Applications

Break and Continue are useful for:

Searching data
Validation systems
Menu-driven programs
User input handling
Game development

Conclusion

The "break" and "continue" statements provide additional control over loops. They help developers write cleaner, more efficient, and flexible programs.

Understanding these statements is important because they are widely used in real-world Python applications.