Data Types in Python

Fundamental Data Types

Python offers many built-in data types, each designed to handle specific kinds of data:

1. Numeric Types:

These types represent numbers in various forms:

• int (Integers): Whole numbers without decimal points.

x = 10
y = -5
print(type(x))  # Output: <class 'int'>
print(type(y))  # Output: <class 'int'>

• float (Floating-Point Numbers): Numbers with decimal points.

a = 3.14
b = -2.5
print(type(a))  # Output: <class 'float'>
print(type(b))  # Output: <class 'float'>

• complex (Complex Numbers): Numbers with a real and an imaginary part (e.g., 2+3j).

c = 2 + 3j
print(type(c))  # Output: <class 'complex'>

2. Text Type:

• str (Strings): Sequences of characters enclosed in single (’ ’) or double (” “) quotes.

name = "Python"
message = 'Hello, world!'
print(type(name))  # Output: <class 'str'>
print(type(message)) # Output: <class 'str'>

3. Sequence Types:

These types represent ordered collections of items:

• list (Lists): Ordered, mutable (changeable) sequences of items. Items can be of different data types.

my_list = [1, "hello", 3.14, True]
print(type(my_list))  # Output: <class 'list'>
my_list[0] = 10 # Modifying a list element
print(my_list) # Output: [10, 'hello', 3.14, True]

• tuple (Tuples): Ordered, immutable (unchangeable) sequences of items.

my_tuple = (1, "hello", 3.14, True)
print(type(my_tuple))  # Output: <class 'tuple'>

• range (Ranges): Represents a sequence of numbers. Often used in loops.

numbers = range(1, 6) # Creates a sequence from 1 to 5
print(list(numbers)) # Output: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(type(numbers)) # Output: <class 'range'>

4. Mapping Type:

• dict (Dictionaries): Unordered collections of key-value pairs. Keys must be immutable (e.g., strings, numbers, tuples).

my_dict = {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}
print(type(my_dict))  # Output: <class 'dict'>
print(my_dict["name"])  # Output: Alice

5. Set Types:

• set (Sets): Unordered collections of unique items.

my_set = {1, 2, 2, 3, 4}  # Duplicates are automatically removed
print(type(my_set))  # Output: <class 'set'>
print(my_set)  # Output: {1, 2, 3, 4}

• frozenset (Frozen Sets): Immutable versions of sets.

6. Boolean Type:

• bool (Booleans): Represents truth values: True or False.

is_adult = True
is_minor = False
print(type(is_adult))  # Output: <class 'bool'>

7. Binary Types:

• bytes: Sequence of bytes.
• bytearray: Mutable sequence of bytes.
• memoryview: Allows access to the internal data of an object without copying.

These data types form the foundation of Python programming. Choosing the appropriate data type ensures efficient and correct code execution. Further exploration into more advanced data structures and their applications will significantly improve your Python programming skills.