Python Data Types

A data type defines the kind of value that a variable can store.

Python provides several built-in data types that are commonly used when developing applications.

The most important beginner-level data types are:

• Integer (int)
• Float (float)
• String (str)
• List (list)
• Tuple (tuple)
• Dictionary (dict)
• Boolean (bool)
• Set (set)

Integer (int)

An integer represents a whole number without a decimal point.

Examples

12

20

-20

0

-5

Example in Python

age = 20
marks = 85

print(age)
print(marks)

Float (float)

A float represents a number containing a decimal point.

It is commonly used for values such as prices, measurements, percentages, and calculations.

Examples

12.5

5.6

3.445

-6.7

Example

price = 99.50
temperature = 25.5

print(price)
print(temperature)

String (str)

A string is a sequence of characters enclosed inside single (' ') or double (" ") quotation marks.

Strings can contain letters, numbers, spaces, and special characters.

Examples

"abc"

"endpointtech"

"12"

'Hello World'

Although "12" contains numbers, it is a string because it is enclosed in quotation marks.

Example

first_name = "Ram"
website = "skillmantra"
phone = "9841234567"

print(first_name)
print(website)
print(phone)

List (list)

A list is a collection of multiple elements.

Lists can contain different types of data and are written using square brackets [].

Example

students = ["Ram", "Shyam", "Hari"]

A list can also contain different data types:

data = ["a", "b", 12, 20.5]

Lists are Mutable

Mutable means that we can modify the contents of a list after it has been created.

For example:

fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Mango"]

fruits.append("Orange")

print(fruits)

Output:

['Apple', 'Banana', 'Mango', 'Orange']

Tuple (tuple)

A tuple is also a collection of elements, but unlike a list, a tuple is immutable.

Immutable means that its elements cannot be changed after the tuple has been created.

Tuples are written using parentheses ().

Example

data = (12, 15, "a", "b", "apple")

print(data)

Tuple Example

colors = ("Red", "Blue", "Green")

print(colors)

Trying to change an element will result in an error:

colors[0] = "Yellow"

Therefore, use a tuple when you want a collection of values that should not be modified.

Dictionary (dict)

A dictionary stores data in key-value pairs.

Dictionaries are written using curly brackets {}.

Example

student = {
    "firstName": "Ram",
    "lastName": "Sharma",
    "age": 20
}

Here:

• firstName is a key.
• Ram is its value.
• lastName is a key.
• Sharma is its value.
• age is a key.
• 20 is its value.

We can access a value using its key:

print(student["firstName"])
print(student["age"])

Output:

Ram
20

Boolean (bool)

A Boolean represents one of two possible values:

True
False

Boolean values are commonly used in conditions and decision-making.

Example

is_logged_in = True
is_admin = False

print(is_logged_in)
print(is_admin)

Boolean values are especially useful with if statements:

is_logged_in = True

if is_logged_in:
    print("Welcome to the dashboard")

Set (set)

A set is an unordered collection of unique elements.

Sets are written using curly brackets {}.

Example

numbers = {1, 2, 5, 3}

print(numbers)

A major feature of a set is that it does not store duplicate values.

Example

numbers = {1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4}

print(numbers)

The duplicate values are automatically removed.

The resulting set contains only unique values:

{1, 2, 3, 4}

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