Python Data Types


Python Data types are the classification or categorization of data items. It represents
the kind of value that tells what operations can be performed on a particular data.
Since everything is an object in Python programming, Python data types are classes
and variables are instances (objects) of these classes. The following are the standard
or built-in data types in Python:
 Numeric
 Sequence Type
 Boolean
 Set
 Dictionary
 Binary Types

1. Numeric Data Types in Python

The numeric data type in Python represents the data that has a numeric
value. A numeric value can be an integer, a floating number, or even a
complex number. These values are defined as Python int, Python float,
and Python complex classes in Python.
 Integers – This value is represented by int class. It contains positive or
negative whole numbers (without fractions or decimals). In Python, there
is no limit to how long an integer value can be.
 Float – This value is represented by the float class. It is a real number
with a floating-point representation. It is specified by a decimal point.
Optionally, the character e or E followed by a positive or negative integer
may be appended to specify scientific notation.
 Complex Numbers – A complex number is represented by a complex
class. It is specified as (real part) + (imaginary part)j. For example – 2+3j

2. Sequence Data Types in Python

The sequence Data Type in Python is the ordered collection of similar or
different Python data types. Sequences allow storing of multiple values in an
organized and efficient fashion. There are several sequence data types of
Python:
 Python String
 Python List
 Python Tuple
String Data Type
Strings in Python are arrays of bytes representing Unicode characters. A
string is a collection of one or more characters put in a single quote, double-
quote, or triple-quote. In Python, there is no character data type Python, a
character is a string of length one. It is represented by str class.
Creating String
Strings in Python can be created using single quotes, double quotes, or even
triple quotes.

Accessing elements of String

In Python programming, individual characters of a String can be accessed by
using the method of Indexing. Negative Indexing allows negative address
references to access characters from the back of the String, e.g. -1 refers to
the last character, -2 refers to the second last character, and so on.

List Data Type

Lists are just like arrays, declared in other languages which is an ordered
collection of data. It is very flexible as the items in a list do not need to be of
the same type.
Creating a List in Python
Lists in Python can be created by just placing the sequence inside the
square brackets[].
List Methods in Python

S.no Method Description

Used for adding elements to

1 append()
the end of the List.

It returns a shallow copy of

2 copy()
a list

This method is used for

3 clear() removing all items from the
list.

These methods count the

4 count()
elements.

Adds each element of an

5 extend() iterable to the end of the
List

Returns the lowest index

6 index() where the element
appears.

Inserts a given element at a

7 insert()
given index in a list.
 Tuple Data Type
Just like a list, a tuple is also an ordered collection of Python objects. The
only difference between a tuple and a list is that tuples are immutable i.e.
tuples cannot be modified after it is created. It is represented by a tuple
class.
Creating a Tuple in Python
In Python Data Types, tuples are created by placing a sequence of values
separated by a „comma‟ with or without the use of parentheses for grouping
the data sequence. Tuples can contain any number of elements and of any
datatype (like strings, integers, lists, etc.). Note: Tuples can also be created
with a single element, but it is a bit tricky. Having one element in the
parentheses is not sufficient, there must be a trailing ‘comma’ to make it a
tuple.

Python has two built-in methods that you can use on tuples.

Method Description

count() Returns the number of times a specified value occurs in a tuple

index() Searches the tuple for a specified value and returns the position of where it

was found

3. Boolean Data Type in Python

Python Data type with one of the two built-in values, True or False. Boolean
objects that are equal to True are truthy (true), and those equal to False are
falsy (false). However non-Boolean objects can be evaluated in a Boolean
context as well and determined to be true or false. It is denoted by the class
bool.
Note – True and False with capital „T‟ and „F‟ are valid booleans otherwise
python will throw an error.

4. Set Data Type in Python

In Python Data Types, a Set is an unordered collection of data types that is
iterable, mutable, and has no duplicate elements. The order of elements in a
set is undefined though it may consist of various elements.
Create a Set in Python
Sets can be created by using the built-in set() function with an iterable object
or a sequence by placing the sequence inside curly braces, separated by
a ‘comma’. The type of elements in a set need not be the same, various
mixed-up data type values can also be passed to the set.
Access Set Items
Set items cannot be accessed by referring to an index, since sets are
unordered the items have no index. But you can loop through the set items
using a for loop, or ask if a specified value is present in a set, by using the in
the keyword.
Note – To know more about sets, refer to Python Sets.
5. Dictionary Data Type in Python
A dictionary in Python is an unordered collection of data values, used to
store data values like a map, unlike other Python Data Types that hold only a
single value as an element, a Dictionary holds a key: value pair. Key-value is
provided in the dictionary to make it more optimized. Each key-value pair in a
Dictionary is separated by a colon : , whereas each key is separated by a
„comma‟.
Create a Dictionary in Python
In Python, a Dictionary can be created by placing a sequence of elements
within curly {} braces, separated by „comma‟. Values in a dictionary can be of
any datatype and can be duplicated, whereas keys can‟t be repeated and
must be immutable. The dictionary can also be created by the built-in
function dict(). An empty dictionary can be created by just placing it in curly
braces{}. Note – Dictionary keys are case sensitive, the same name but
different cases of Key will be treated distinctly.
Accessing Key-value in Dictionary
In order to access the items of a dictionary refer to its key name. Key can be
used inside square brackets. There is also a method called get() that will
also help in accessing the element from a dictionary.

Python Operators

In Python programming, Operators in general are used to perform operations on

values and variables. These are standard symbols used for logical and arithmetic
operations. In this article, we will look into different types of Python operators.
 OPERATORS: These are the special symbols. Eg- + , * , /, etc.
 OPERAND: It is the value on which the operator is applied.
Types of Operators in Python
1. Arithmetic Operators
2. Comparison Operators
3. Logical Operators
4. Bitwise Operators
5. Assignment Operators
6. Identity Operators and Membership Operators
Python Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic operators are used to perform basic mathematical operations such as

addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.

Assume variable a holds 10 and variable b holds 20, then

Operator Name Example

+ Addition a + b = 30

- Subtraction a – b = -10

* Multiplication a * b = 200

/ Division b/a=2

% Modulus b%a=0

** Exponent a**b =10**20

// Floor Division 9//2 = 4

Python Comparison Operators

Comparison operators compare the values on either side of them and decide the
relation among them. They are also called Relational operators.

Assume variable a holds 10 and variable b holds 20, then

Operator Name Example

== Equal (a == b) is not true.

!= Not equal (a != b) is true.

> Greater than (a > b) is not true.

< Less than (a < b) is true.

>= Greater than or equal to (a >= b) is not true.

<= Less than or equal to (a <= b) is true.

Python Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign values to variables. Following is a

table which shows all Python assignment operators.

Operator Example Same As

= a = 10 a = 10

+= a += 30 a = a + 30

-= a -= 15 a = a - 15

*= a *= 10 a = a * 10

/= a /= 5 a=a/5

%= a %= 5 a=a%5

**= a **= 4 a = a ** 4

//= a //= 5 a = a // 5

&= a &= 5 a=a&5

|= a |= 5 a=a|5
^= a ^= 5 a=a^5

>>= a >>= 5 a = a >> 5

<<= a <<= 5 a = a << 5

Python Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operator works on bits and performs bit by bit operation. These
operators are used to compare binary numbers.

There are following Bitwise operators supported by Python language

Operator Name Example

& AND a&b

| OR a|b

^ XOR a^b

~ NOT ~a

<< Zero fill left shift a << 3

>> Signed right shift a >> 3

Python Logical Operators

Python logical operators are used to combile two or more conditions and check
the final result. There are following logical operators supported by Python
language. Assume variable a holds 10 and variable b holds 20 then

Operator Name Example

and AND a and b

or OR a or b

not NOT not(a)

Python Membership Operators

Python's membership operators test for membership in a sequence, such as

strings, lists, or tuples. There are two membership operators as explained below
−

Operator Description Example

in Returns True if it finds a variable in the specified sequence, false otherwise. a in b

returns True if it does not finds a variable in the specified sequence and false a not in
not in
otherwise. b

Python Identity Operators

Identity operators compare the memory locations of two objects. There are two
Identity operators explained below −

Operator Description Example

is Returns True if both variables are the same object and false otherwise. a is b

is not Returns True if both variables are not the same object and false otherwise. a is not b
 Python Variables

Python Variable is containers that store values. Python is not “statically

typed”. We do not need to declare variables before using them or declare
their type. A variable is created the moment we first assign a value to it. A
Python variable is a name given to a memory location. It is the basic unit of
storage in a program. In this article, we will see how to define a variable
in Python.

In a Python class, we can define three types of methods:

 Instance methods
 Class methods
 Static methods

Instance methods
Instance methods are the most used methods in a Python class. These methods are only accessible through
class objects. If we want to modify any class variable, this should be done inside an instance method.

Class methods
Class methods are usually used to access class variables. You can call these methods directly using the class
name instead of creating an object of that class.

To declare a class method, we need to use the @classmethod decorator. Also, as in the case of instance
methods, self is the keyword used to access the class variables. In class methods, we use use
the cls variable to refer to the class.

Static methods
Static methods are usually used as a utility function or when we do not want an inherited class to modify a
function definition. These methods do not have any relation to the class variables and instance variables; so,
are not allowed to modify the class attributes inside a static method.

To declare a static method, we need to use the @staticmethod. Again, we will be using the cls variable to
refer to the class. These methods can be accessed using the class name as well as class objects.