Python truth interpretation

I am taking a Python course, the following is an example code snippet; I understand it:

# A program that reads a sequence of numbers
# and counts how many numbers are even and how many are odd.
# The program terminates when zero is entered.

odd_numbers = 0
even_numbers = 0

# Read the first number.
number = int(input("Enter a number or type 0 to stop: "))

# 0 terminates execution.
while number != 0:
    # Check if the number is odd.
    if number % 2 == 1:
        # Increase the odd_numbers counter.
        odd_numbers += 1
    else:
        # Increase the even_numbers counter.
        even_numbers += 1
    # Read the next number.
    number = int(input("Enter a number or type 0 to stop: "))

# Print results.
print("Odd numbers count:", odd_numbers)
print("Even numbers count:", even_numbers)

Then this portion appears in the lesson:

Try to recall how Python interprets the truth of a condition, and note that these two forms are equivalent:

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while number != 0: and while number:.

I subbed in the while number: in the code above and the code functions correctly.

I don’t understand WHY while number: means while number !=0

Can anyone explain this to me? Thank you!

>Solution :

As another user has already said, the reason that this has the same result is because 0 is interpreted as False in the context of the while loop, while anything other than 0 is interpreted as True.

Therefore, while number and while number != 0 will both be True while the number is anything other than 0.