Instruction: Explain the difference between '==' (equality) and '===' (strict equality) operators in JavaScript.
Context: This question assesses the candidate's knowledge of JavaScript type coercion and the importance of using strict comparison for predictable code behavior.
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Let's start by clarifying what each operator does. The '==' operator, also known as the equality operator, compares two values for equality after converting both values to a common type. This process is called type coercion. For instance, when comparing a string and a number, JavaScript converts the string to a number before performing the comparison. This can lead to unexpected results if you're not aware of how type coercion works. For example, when comparing "5" and 5 using '==', JavaScript considers them equal because it converts the string "5" to the number 5.
On the other hand, the '===' operator, known as the strict equality operator, compares both the value and the type of two...