What Condition Does the While Loop Test For?

The while loop tests a condition before each iteration. If the condition is true, the loop's code block executes. If the condition is false, the loop stops.

Here's how a while loop works:

1. Initialization: A variable is initialized with a starting value.
2. Condition Check: The while loop checks the condition.
3. Execution: If the condition is true, the code block inside the loop executes.
4. Iteration: The loop returns to step 2, checking the condition again.
5. Termination: The loop stops when the condition becomes false.

Examples:

• Printing numbers from 1 to 10:

i = 1
while i <= 10:
  print(i)
  i += 1

In this example, the condition i <= 10 is checked before each iteration. The loop continues as long as i is less than or equal to 10. Once i becomes 11, the condition becomes false, and the loop stops.

• Reading user input until a specific word is entered:

word = ""
while word != "quit":
  word = input("Enter a word (or 'quit' to exit): ")
  print(f"You entered: {word}")

This loop continues until the user enters the word "quit". The condition word != "quit" is checked before each iteration. If the user enters "quit", the condition becomes false, and the loop stops.

In summary, the while loop tests a condition to determine whether to continue executing its code block. The condition is evaluated before each iteration, and the loop continues as long as the condition remains true.