A Deeper Look at Python’s Data Types

In Python, every value is an object, and every object has a specific data type (which is implemented as a class). The data type determines the properties of the object, the methods you can use on it, and how it behaves in expressions.

Let’s explore Python’s standard, built-in data types in detail.

Numeric Types: `int`, `float`, `complex`

Numeric types are used to represent numbers.

int (Integer): Represents whole numbers, both positive and negative, without any decimal points. Python integers have unlimited precision, meaning they can be as large as your computer’s memory allows.
float (Floating-Point Number): Represents numbers with a decimal point. They are used for real numbers and are typically implemented as double-precision floating-point numbers.
complex (Complex Number): Represents numbers with a real and an imaginary part, written as a + bj, where a is the real part and b is the imaginary part.

Pyground

Create one variable for each numeric type and print its value and type.

Expected Output:


Value: 101, Type: <class 'int'>
Value: 3.14159, Type: <class 'float'>
Value: 2 - 3j, Type: <class 'complex'>

Output:

Text Sequence Type: `str`

The string data type is used to store sequences of characters.

str (String): An immutable sequence of Unicode characters. You can create strings using single quotes ('...'), double quotes ("..."), or triple quotes ('''...''' or """...""") for multi-line strings.

Immutable means that once a string is created, it cannot be changed. Any operation that appears to modify a string (like concatenation) actually creates a new string object.

Pyground

Create a string and demonstrate how to check its type.

Expected Output:


Value: Hello, World!, Type: <class 'str'>
This is a
multi-line string.

Output:

Sequence Types: `list`, `tuple`, `range`

Sequence types represent ordered collections of items.

list: A mutable, ordered sequence of items. Lists are one of the most versatile data types. They are defined by enclosing a comma-separated sequence of items in square brackets [].
tuple: An immutable, ordered sequence of items. Tuples are like lists, but they cannot be modified after creation. They are defined by enclosing items in parentheses ().
range: An immutable sequence of numbers, typically used for iterating a specific number of times in for loops.

Pyground

Create a list, a tuple, and a range object, then print their types.

Expected Output:


List: [1, 'apple', True, 3.5], Type: <class 'list'>
Tuple: (1, 'apple', True, 3.5), Type: <class 'tuple'>
Range: range(0, 5), Type: <class 'range'>

Output:

Mapping Type: `dict`

The dictionary is used to store data values in key-value pairs.

dict (Dictionary): A mutable, unordered (in Python < 3.7) or insertion-ordered (in Python 3.7+) collection of key-value pairs. Each key must be unique and immutable (e.g., a string, number, or tuple). Dictionaries are defined with curly braces {}.

Pyground

Create a dictionary to store a user's profile and print it.

Expected Output:


Profile: {'name': 'John Doe', 'age': 30, 'is_active': True, 'courses': ['Math', 'Science']}
Type: <class 'dict'>

Output:

Set Types: `set`, `frozenset`

Sets are unordered collections of unique items.

set: A mutable collection of unique, unordered items. They are useful for membership testing, removing duplicates, and mathematical operations like union, intersection, and difference. Defined with curly braces {} or the set() function.
frozenset: An immutable version of a set. Once created, you cannot add or remove elements.

Pyground

Create a set from a list with duplicates to see how they are handled.

Expected Output:


Original List: [1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3, 5, 1]
Set: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
Type: <class 'set'>
Frozenset: frozenset({1, 2, 3})

Output:

⚠️

To create an empty set, you must use set(), not {}. Using {} creates an empty dictionary.

Boolean Type: `bool`

The boolean type is used to represent truth values.

bool (Boolean): Can only have one of two values: True or False. Booleans are the foundation of conditional logic and control flow.

Internally, True is treated as the integer 1 and False as 0.

Pyground

Demonstrate boolean variables and a boolean expression.

Expected Output:


Learning: True, Type: <class 'bool'>
Is 10 > 5? True, Type: <class 'bool'>

Output:

None Type: `NoneType`

This type has a single value, None, used to signify the absence of a value.

NoneType: The data type of the None object. A function that doesn’t explicitly return a value will implicitly return None. It’s often used as a placeholder for optional arguments or to initialize a variable that doesn’t have a value yet.

Pyground

Initialize a variable to `None` and check its type.

Expected Output:


Winner: None, Type: <class 'NoneType'>

Output:

Dynamic Typing Indexing in Sequencial Data Types

A Deeper Look at Python’s Data Types

Numeric Types: int, float, complex

Pyground

Create one variable for each numeric type and print its value and type.

Expected Output:

Output:

Text Sequence Type: str

Pyground

Create a string and demonstrate how to check its type.

Expected Output:

Output:

Sequence Types: list, tuple, range

Pyground

Create a list, a tuple, and a range object, then print their types.

Expected Output:

Output:

Mapping Type: dict

Pyground

Create a dictionary to store a user's profile and print it.

Expected Output:

Output:

Set Types: set, frozenset

Pyground

Create a set from a list with duplicates to see how they are handled.

Expected Output:

Output:

Boolean Type: bool

Pyground

Demonstrate boolean variables and a boolean expression.

Expected Output:

Output:

None Type: NoneType

Pyground

Initialize a variable to `None` and check its type.

Expected Output:

Output:

Numeric Types: `int`, `float`, `complex`

Text Sequence Type: `str`

Sequence Types: `list`, `tuple`, `range`

Mapping Type: `dict`

Set Types: `set`, `frozenset`

Boolean Type: `bool`

None Type: `NoneType`