Python Data Types

If you’re learning Python, you’ve probably heard people talk about data types. Strings, integers, booleans, floats… all the usual suspects. But instead of reading dry definitions, let’s walk through a real script and break down what each part actually does.

This is the exact kind of hands-on learning that makes everything click.

Starting With Strings

Strings are just text. And Python gives you multiple ways to create them.

Literal assignment:

first = "Dave"
last = "Gray"

Here, Python automatically knows these are strings.

There’s also a constructor:

pizza = str("Pepperoni")

Both ways do the same thing. Most developers stick to the first one since it’s cleaner.

Concatenation and Updating Strings

You can combine strings using +:

fullname = first + " " + last
print(fullname)

You can even update an existing string:

fullname += "!"

Casting Numbers Into Strings

If you want to mix text with numbers, cast them:

decade = str(1980)
statement = "I like rock music from the " + decade + "s."

Multiline Strings

Python makes long text easy with triple quotes:

multiline = '''
Hey, how are you?
I was just checking in.
All good?
'''

Escaping Special Characters

When a string includes quotes, tabs, newlines, or slashes:

sentence = 'I'm back at work!tHey!nnWhere's this at\located?'

Single quotes inside single-quoted strings need escaping. Tabs use t, newlines use n.

Useful String Methods

Want lowercase or uppercase?

first.lower()
first.upper()

Want to replace text?

multiline.replace("good", "ok")

Need formatted spacing?
Python gives you ljust, rjust, and center, which are perfect for simple CLI menus:

title = "menu".upper()
print(title.center(20, "="))

String Indexing

Strings act like arrays of characters:

print(first[1])      # second letter
print(first[-1])     # last letter
print(first[1:-1])   # slice

Booleans

Booleans represent True or False values:

myvalue = True
x = bool(False)

They pop up everywhere in conditions, checks, and logic.

Numbers in Python

Integers

Whole numbers:

price = 100
best_price = int(80)

Floats

Decimals:

gpa = 3.28

Complex Numbers

Used for advanced math:

comp_value = 5 + 3j

You can access the real and imaginary parts:

comp_value.real
comp_value.imag

Common Math Functions

abs(gpa)
round(gpa)
round(gpa, 1)
math.sqrt(64)
math.ceil(gpa)
math.floor(gpa)

Python makes numeric calculations ridiculously simple.

Casting Strings to Numbers

You can safely convert numeric strings:

zipcode = "10001"
zip_value = int(zipcode)

But if you try converting non-numeric text:

int("New York")

Python will throw an error, as it should.

Conclusion

This script is a great example of how Python handles different data types in everyday code. Strings, numbers, booleans, casting, formatting, math operations — they all show up constantly when you’re building real programs. Once you’re comfortable with these basics, writing clean and reliable Python becomes much easier.

For more visit this repo

Happy coding!!

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