Compare Strings by Character Length

Convert Minutes into Seconds

Learn how to convert minutes into seconds in Python using arithmetic multiplication and basic unit conversions.

1. The Challenge: Comparing String Lengths

Create a function comp(str1, str2) that returns True if two strings have the same number of characters, and False otherwise.

2. Why It Matters

Length comparison is used in password validation rules, string anagram matching, and data alignment algorithms.

3. The Python Solution

Compare len(str1) == len(str2):

def comp(str1, str2):
    return len(str1) == len(str2)

# Testing our function
print(comp("AB", "CD"))       # Output: True (2 == 2)
print(comp("ABC", "DE"))      # Output: False (3 != 2)
print(comp("hello", "edabit"))# Output: False (5 != 6)

4. How len() Executes

In Python, len() runs in O(1) constant time because string objects store their character length metadata directly in CPython structure headers.

5. Common Mistakes

• Comparing Strings Directly Instead of Their Lengths: Writing str1 == str2 compares character content, NOT length! Ensure you wrap both strings with len().

6. Next Steps

Use len() to compare collection counts. Next, let's concatenate first and last names!