python data types

Python Data Types

In this section we will cover some of the key data types used in python. Data types are the basic building blocks when constructing large pieces of code. Data types basically represents the type of data a variable can store/hold.

Some of the key data types used in python are listed below:

Type	Name	Description
Integer	int	Whole numbers such as : 1,2,400...
Floating Point	float	Numbers with decimal point such as 2.3,4.6...
String	str	Ordered sequence of Characters: 'sammy', "Hello" , "2000" ,"400" ...
List	list	Ordered sequence of objects : [10,"w",3.4]
Dictionaries	dict	Unordered Key:Value pairs: { "key" : "value" , "name" : "sam"}
Tuples	tup	Ordered immutable sequence of objects : ( 10 , "hello" , 200.3)
Sets	set	Unordered collection of unique objects : {"a","b"}
Boolean	bool	Logical operator representing True or False

Please note that lists,dictionaries,tuples and sets aren't really data types , rather they are data structures. A data structure is a particular way of organizing data in a computer so that it can be used effectively. A data structure can contain objects of various data types. These can be called non-traditional data types.

Type in the above table represents the keyword Python uses to recognise a specific data type.

The type() function in python returns the data type of the object enclosed within the parenthesis. In the code below , we will use this type() function to identify the data types of the objects.

print(type("Animal"))
print(type(1))
print(type(3.14))

output :

<class 'str'>
<class 'int'>
<class 'float'>

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