In PHP, what actually happens when you compare the string '10' with the integer 11 using the loose equality operator ==, and does this comparison work without a type error?

Introduction / Context:
PHP is a loosely typed language that performs automatic type juggling when you compare values of different types. Understanding how PHP converts strings to numbers during comparisons is very important for avoiding subtle bugs, especially when comparing user input with numeric identifiers. This question focuses on what happens when you compare the string value 10 with the integer value 11 using the loose equality operator in PHP.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The string value is '10', which contains numeric characters.
• The other value is the integer 11.
• The comparison operator is the loose equality operator, written as == in PHP.
• We assume a standard PHP configuration without strict type checking extensions.

Concept / Approach:
When PHP compares a string and a number with the loose equality operator, it attempts to convert the string to a number and then performs a numeric comparison. If the string starts with numeric characters, those characters are converted to a number. In this case, PHP treats the string '10' as the integer 10. The comparison then becomes a numeric comparison between 10 and 11. Since 10 is not equal to 11, the result of the equality expression is false, but there is no type error. This behaviour is different from strict comparisons, where both type and value must match.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Identify that one operand is a string containing numeric characters and the other is an integer. 2. Recall that the loose equality operator in PHP triggers type juggling when operand types differ. 3. Recognize that PHP will convert the string '10' into the numeric value 10 based on its leading numeric characters. 4. Once converted, PHP compares 10 with 11 as integers. 5. Since 10 is not equal to 11, the expression using == evaluates to false, but the comparison itself works without any runtime type error.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this behaviour by writing a short script that prints the result of two different expressions. First, check the value of '10' == 11, which will evaluate to false. Second, check '10' < 11, which will evaluate to true because 10 is less than 11 after conversion. This confirms that PHP performs numeric comparison without errors. If you instead use the strict equality operator ===, the result will be false because the types differ, even though the numeric values might match in other examples.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option B is wrong because PHP does not raise a fatal type error for this comparison; it performs type juggling and continues execution.
• Option C is wrong because PHP does not simply convert the integer to a string and treat any non empty string as equal; it uses numeric rules for strings that look numeric.
• Option D is wrong because PHP does allow comparisons between strings and integers, and many applications rely on this feature, even though it can be risky.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is assuming that PHP will always compare strings lexicographically, for example treating '10' as greater than '2' when compared as text. With loose equality and mixed types, PHP often uses numeric comparison instead. Another issue is forgetting the difference between == and ===, which can cause unexpected matches, such as '0' == false. To avoid such problems, many developers prefer explicit casting or strict comparisons in critical sections of code where type safety is important.

Final Answer:
The correct description is PHP converts the string '10' to the number 10, performs a numeric comparison with 11, and the expression evaluates without error but is not equal, because this matches the type juggling and comparison rules that PHP applies in this scenario.