Section 1.1: The Importance of Data Types

In Python, every value is assigned a specific data type. Grasping these data types is vital for creating efficient and error-free code. Python accommodates a variety of data types, including integers, floats, strings, lists, tuples, dictionaries, and more. Below are several common data types in Python:

Integers (int)

Integers are whole numbers, either positive or negative, that do not contain a decimal point. For instance:

x = 10

Floats (float)

Floats represent real numbers that include a decimal point and can also be displayed in scientific notation. An example of defining a float variable is:

y = 3.14

Strings (str)

Strings are sequences of characters enclosed in single or double quotes, used to represent textual data. Here’s how you can define a string variable:

name = "Alice"

Lists

Lists are ordered collections of items that can consist of various data types. They are mutable, meaning you can modify their elements after they've been created:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Tuples

Tuples are similar to lists but are immutable; their elements cannot be changed after creation. Here’s how to define a tuple:

point = (10, 20)

Dictionaries

Dictionaries consist of unordered key-value pairs, where each key maps to a specific value. An example of a dictionary variable is:

person = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30}

Section 1.2: Working with Variables and Data Types

Having explored some standard data types in Python, let’s look at how variables interact with these types.

Variable Assignment

You create variables in Python by assigning a value using the = operator, and there’s no need to declare a variable’s type explicitly:

x = 10

name = "Alice"

Type Conversion

Python provides built-in functions like int(), float(), and str() for converting variables between different data types:

x = 10

y = str(x) # Convert integer to string

Checking Data Types

To determine the data type of a variable, you can use the type() function:

x = 10

print(type(x)) # Output: <class 'int'>