So, you're curious about Python? Great choice! It's a versatile language used for everything from web development to data science. Let's start with the basics: data types. Think of data types as containers that hold different kinds of information. Python has several built-in data types to handle various types of data.
Understanding Data Types
- Numbers:
- Integers: Whole numbers like 1, 2, -3, 0.
- Floating-point numbers: Numbers with decimal points like 3.14, -2.5.
- Complex numbers: Numbers with real and imaginary parts (not commonly used at this level).
Python
x = 10 # Integer
y = 3.14 # Float
- Strings: Textual data enclosed in single or double quotes.
Python
name = "Alice"
greeting = 'Hello, world!'
- Boolean: Represents truth values, either True or False.
Python
is_student = True
is_raining = False
- Lists: Ordered collections of items, mutable (can be changed).
Python
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
- Tuples: Ordered collections of items, immutable (cannot be changed).
Python
colors = ("red", "green", "blue")
- Dictionaries: Unordered collections of key-value pairs.
Python
student = {"name": "Bob", "age": 17, "grade": "A"}
How to Use Data Types
You can assign values to variables using the equal sign (=).
Python
age = 18
city = "Delhi"
has_laptop = True
You can perform operations on different data types based on their nature. For example:
Python
# Numbers
result = 5 + 3
print(result) # Output: 8
# Strings
message = "Hello" + " " + "World"
print(message) # Output: Hello World
# Lists
fruits.append("orange") # Add an item to the list
print(fruits) # Output: ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'orange']
# Dictionaries
student["city"] = "Mumbai" # Add a new key-value pair
print(student) # Output: {'name': 'Bob', 'age': 17, 'grade': 'A', 'city': 'Mumbai'}
Why Data Types Matter
Understanding data types is crucial for writing correct and efficient Python code. Choosing the right data type for your data can significantly impact your program's performance and readability.
For example:
- If you want to store a person's age, use an integer.
- If you want to store a person's name, use a string.
- If you want to store a list of items, use a list.
Image Credit : GeeksForGeeks
