Why will the variable "a" be equal to after executing this program: (See picture) Enter number a = 4 b = 8 if not (a < 4): a += 4 else: a += b

Explanation:

We need to determine the final value of the variable 'a' after the program executes. The program checks if 'a' is NOT less than 4. Since 'a' is initially 4, the condition '(a < 4)' is false. Therefore, 'not (a < 4)' is true, and the code inside the 'if' block executes.

Step-by-step solution:

1. Initial values: a = 4, b = 8
2. Condition check: The condition is `if not (a < 4):`.
3. Evaluate `a < 4`: Since a = 4, the expression `a < 4` evaluates to `False`.
4. Evaluate `not (False)`: The `not` operator negates the result, so `not False` becomes `True`.
5. Execute `if` block: Because the condition is `True`, the code inside the `if` block is executed: `a += 4`. This means `a = a + 4`.
6. Calculate new value of `a`: `a = 4 + 4 = 8`.
7. Skip `else` block: Since the `if` block was executed, the `else` block is skipped.

Answer: 8