The Spatial Space

Data types are the types of data that you can give Python to use.

There are 4 main data types:

strings

string = "This is a string"

In Python, a string is a sequence of characters enclosed within single quotes (‘ ‘) or double quotes (” “).

It is a data type used to represent text and can contain letters, numbers, symbols, and whitespace. Strings are immutable, meaning they cannot be changed after they are created, but various operations can be performed on them, such as concatenation, slicing, and formatting.

integers

ThisIsAnInteger = 0

In Python, an integer is a data type used to represent whole numbers (positive, negative, or zero) without any decimal points.

Integers in Python can be of any length and are used for performing mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Floats

ThisIsAFloat = 1.2

In Python, a float is a data type used to represent decimal numbers. It stands for “floating-point number.”

Floats can represent both whole and fractional numbers and can be positive or negative. They are used for performing mathematical operations that involve decimal values, such as division or calculations involving real-world measurements.

Booleans

ThisIsABoolean = True
ThisIsAlsoABoolean = False

In Python, a boolean is a data type that represents one of two possible values: True or False. Booleans are used for logical operations and conditional statements.

They are often the result of comparisons or logical operations and play a crucial role in decision-making within programs. Booleans help determine the flow of code execution based on the truth value of certain conditions.

how to use them

In Python, you can use different data types by assigning values to variables of those types. Here are a few examples:

1. Strings: Enclose text within single or double quotes, e.g., name = "John".
2. Integers: Assign whole numbers without decimals, e.g., age = 25.
3. Floats: Assign numbers with decimal points, e.g., price = 3.99.
4. Booleans: Assign either True or False values, e.g., is_active = True.

You can perform operations and manipulate these data types using built-in functions and operators specific to each type. Python also allows type conversion, enabling you to convert values from one data type to another as needed.

what is printing?

Printing in Python refers to the process of displaying text or values on the console or standard output. It allows you to view the output of your program or inspect the values of variables during runtime. The print() function is used to achieve this in Python.

The print() function takes one or more arguments, which can be strings, variables, or expressions, and displays their values on the console. For example:

print("Hello, world!")  # Prints a string

You can also print variables by passing them as arguments to the print() function:

name = "John"
age = 30
print("Name:", name, "Age:", age)  # Prints multiple values

The print() function can accept multiple arguments, which are automatically separated by a space when printed. You can also specify a different separator using the sep parameter:

print("Name:", name, "Age:", age, sep=" | ")  # Prints with a custom separator

In addition, you can format the output using formatting techniques like f-strings or the format() method to control the appearance of the printed values.

Printing is a fundamental aspect of Python programming that allows you to display information and monitor the execution of your code.

what is a variable?

In Python, a variable is a named location in the computer’s memory that is used to store data. It is like a container that holds a value, which can be a number, string, boolean, or any other data type. Variables allow you to store and manipulate data throughout your program.

To create a variable, you need to assign a value to it using the assignment operator (=). For example:

x = 10  # Assigns the value 10 to the variable 'x'
name = "John"  # Assigns the string "John" to the variable 'name'

Once a variable is defined, you can use its value in expressions or manipulate it as needed. For example:

y = x + 5  # Adds 5 to the value of 'x' and assigns it to 'y'
greeting = "Hello, " + name  # Concatenates 'name' with the string "Hello, "

Variables in Python are dynamic, meaning their values can change during the execution of the program. You can reassign a new value to an existing variable:

x = 20  # Changes the value of 'x' to 20

Using variables allows you to store and retrieve data, perform calculations, and make your code more flexible and reusable. They play a crucial role in programming by providing a way to work with and manipulate data dynamically.

How to check what data type a variable is?

In Python, you can use the type() function to check the type of data a particular value or variable holds. The type() function returns the data type of the specified object.

Here’s an example:

x = 5
y = "Hello, world!"
z = 3.14
is_sunny = True

print(type(x))  # Output: <class 'int'>
print(type(y))  # Output: <class 'str'>
print(type(z))  # Output: <class 'float'>
print(type(is_sunny))  # Output: <class 'bool'>

In the above code, the type() function is called with different variables as arguments. It returns the class or type of each variable, such as int, str, float, or bool.

You can also use the type() function on literal values without assigning them to variables:

print(type(10))  # Output: <class 'int'>
print(type("Hello"))  # Output: <class 'str'>
print(type(3.14))  # Output: <class 'float'>
print(type(True))  # Output: <class 'bool'>

By checking the type of data, you can ensure that you are working with the correct data types in your program and apply appropriate operations or logic accordingly.

task

Now that you know about different data types and how to print them:

1. Assign your favourite book or film to a variable as a string
2. Create a variable called ‘rating’ and give your favourite book/film a rating out of 10, as a float
3. Look up how many pages or minutes the book/film is and assign that to a variable ‘length’
4. Print all these variables

If you’re not sure how to get started with this task, first read this article: What is Python?

Your code should look something like this:

favourite_film = "Drive"
rating = 9.4
length = 100

print(favourite_film, rating, length)

Bonus task: If you want to be a bit fancier, you can give more context to your print statement using f-strings. Also, how could you use a boolean in this context?

An f (format) string allows you to embed variables into a string. You can use f-strings by putting f before the first quotation mark and inserting each variable inside curly brackets { }. For instance:

favourite_film = "Drive"
rating = 9.4
length = 100

print(f"My favourite film is {favourite_film}. I would give it a rating of {rating} out of 10. It is {length} minutes long.")

This would print to the console:

My favourite film is Drive. I would give it a rating of 9.4 out of 10. It is 100 minutes long.