exception handling faster than if comparison?

if_vs_exception_benchmark.py

#!/usr/bin/python3
# 
# Someone said that this is actually faster than using an if statement
#   https://twitter.com/flibitijibibo/status/1037011978600898560
#
# output:
# Running each function 100000000 times.
# isEqual_if(n=1.1,m=1.1), total 15.401655944995582, each 1.5401655944995582e-07.
# isEqual_if(n=1.1,m=0.1), total 15.192942995985504, each 1.5192942995985504e-07.
# isEqual_exception(n=1.1,m=1.1), total 41.77682093999465, each 4.177682093999465e-07.
# isEqual_exception(n=1.1,m=0.1), total 18.956408566999016, each 1.8956408566999015e-07.
#
# not in python...

from timeit import timeit


def isEqual_if(n, m):
    if n == m:
        return True
    return False


def isEqual_exception(n, m):
    try:
        x = 1/(n-m)
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        return True
    return False


def timeFuncs(functionList):
    max = 1*10**8
    testValues = (1.1, 0.1)

    print("Running each function {} times.".format(max))
    for function in functionList:
        n = testValues[0]
        for m in testValues:
            def testfunc(): return function(n, m)
            time = timeit(stmt=testfunc, number=max)
            print("{}(n={},m={}), total {}, each {}.".format(function.__name__,
                                                             n, m, time, time/max))


funclist = [isEqual_if, isEqual_exception]
timeFuncs(funclist)