Python Numbers

In Python, numbers are used to store numeric values. Python supports three different types of numbers:

1. Integers (int)
2. Floating-point numbers (float)
3. Complex numbers (complex)

Each of these types has its own unique properties and use cases. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.

1. Integers (int)

Integers are whole numbers, positive or negative, without decimals. Python automatically detects an integer type when you assign a whole number to a variable.

Example:

a = 10      # Positive integer
b = -5      # Negative integer
c = 0       # Zero (integer)

Python integers can be of arbitrary length, meaning you can work with very large numbers without worrying about overflow.

Example of large integers:

large_number = 123456789012345678901234567890
print(large_number)

2. Floating-Point Numbers (float)

Floating-point numbers, or simply floats, represent real numbers and are used for decimal values. They contain a decimal point or an exponential (e) to represent very large or very small numbers.

Example:

x = 3.14     # Positive float
y = -0.001   # Negative float
z = 1.0      # Float with a decimal point

Floats can also be written in scientific notation by using an e to indicate powers of 10.

Example of scientific notation:

a = 1.5e2    # 1.5 * 10^2 = 150.0
b = 2.5e-3   # 2.5 * 10^-3 = 0.0025

3. Complex Numbers (complex)

Complex numbers are used to represent numbers with a real and an imaginary part. In Python, the imaginary part is written with a j (e.g., 1 + 2j). Complex numbers consist of two parts:

• The real part is a floating-point number.
• The imaginary part is a floating-point number followed by j.

Example:

c = 1 + 2j    # Complex number with real part 1 and imaginary part 2
d = -3j       # Complex number with real part 0 and imaginary part -3

You can access the real and imaginary parts of a complex number using the .real and .imag attributes.

Example:

c = 3 + 4j
print(c.real)  # Output: 3.0
print(c.imag)  # Output: 4.0

Arithmetic Operations on Numbers

Python supports standard arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more. Here’s a summary of these operations:

Basic Operations:

Example:

a = 10
b = 3

print(a + b)   # Addition: 13
print(a - b)   # Subtraction: 7
print(a * b)   # Multiplication: 30
print(a / b)   # Division (float): 3.333...
print(a // b)  # Floor division: 3
print(a % b)   # Modulus (remainder): 1
print(a ** b)  # Exponentiation: 1000

Built-in Functions for Numbers

Python provides several built-in functions for working with numbers.

• abs(): Returns the absolute value of a number.

  print(abs(-10))  # Output: 10
  

• pow(x, y): Returns x raised to the power y (same as x ** y).

  print(pow(2, 3))  # Output: 8
  

• round(x, n): Rounds x to n decimal places.

  print(round(3.14159, 2))  # Output: 3.14
  

• max(): Returns the largest value among the arguments.

  print(max(1, 5, 10, -3))  # Output: 10
  

• min(): Returns the smallest value among the arguments.

  print(min(1, 5, 10, -3))  # Output: -3
  

• sum(): Returns the sum of all items in an iterable.

  print(sum([1, 2, 3, 4]))  # Output: 10
  

Type Conversion

You can convert between different number types using type casting functions:

• int(): Converts a number to an integer.
• float(): Converts a number to a float.
• complex(): Converts numbers to complex numbers.

Example:

x = 3.14
y = int(x)  # Converts float to integer: 3

z = "10"
w = float(z)  # Converts string to float: 10.0

Example: Number Operations

# Integer arithmetic
a = 10
b = 3
print(a + b)   # Output: 13
print(a ** b)  # Output: 1000

# Floating-point arithmetic
x = 3.14
y = 1.5
print(x * y)   # Output: 4.71

# Complex number operations
z = 1 + 2j
w = 2 + 1j
print(z + w)   # Output: (3+3j)

Summary of Number Types: