Explain the difference between loose equality (==) and strict equality (===) in JavaScript.

== (loose equality): Compares values after type coercion
=== (strict equality): Compares values without type coercion

Examples:
"5" == 5 // true (string converted to number)
"5" === 5 // false (different types)

null == undefined // true
null === undefined // false

0 == false // true
0 === false // false

Best practice: Always use === unless you specifically need type coercion.