The Essential Guide to Working with Numbers in Python: Best Python Tutorial

In this tutorial, we will explore numbers in Python. By the end, you will have a complete understanding of how numbers work in Python.

Part 2- Python Tutorial: Numbers in Python

Topics covered in this article of Python Tutorial: –

1. Types of Numbers.
2. Type Conversion
3. Basic Calculations using Python

Types of Numbers-

Mainly three types of Numbers in Python as discussed below:-

• Integer Type- An integer is a numerical value without any decimal points. It may be positive or negative. It doesn’t contain a decimal.

For Example-

a=7 #int
b= 1079145209 #int
c= -247409 #int

• Float Type- It includes decimal values and can be either positive or negative.

For Example-

a= 3.20 #float
b=7.0 #float
c= -59.83 #float

• Complex Type- These numbers follow the format a + bJ, where J represents the square root of -1.

a= 5+8j # complex
b= 7j #complex
c= -3j #complex

To determine the type of any given number, simply enter the following command:-

print(type(a))

And it will return the type of number. Suppose you want to check a number a=3, then you can do that as mentioned below:

a=3
print(type(a))

OUTPUT-> <class 'int'>

Type Conversion-

We use type conversion in Python to convert the number from one type to another. To execute various operations, sometimes we may need to convert from an integer type to a float type, a float type to a complex type, and so on.

Here’s an example of how to change the type of a number –

a= 6 #int
b=7.9 #float
c= 7+5j #complex

#from int to float-
x= float(a)

#from float to int-
y= int(b)

#from float to complex-
z= complex(b)

Just take a look at the example above. It’s as simple as writing a single line of code!

Note- There is limitation in type conversion such as complex numbers cannot be converted to other type.

Basic Calculations using Python-

After gaining a clear understanding of number types and conversions, it’s time to practice some basic calculations using Python.

So, are you ready? Let’s get started by simple maths-

• Doing simple mathematical operation ( addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) in Python is very easy, Just like typing in calculator. Very easy…right? Let’s see, how to do it-

Just follow me and type the code as I mention below to practice with me:

>>> 5+2 #addition
07
>>>3-3 #substraction
0
>>>5*3 #multiplication
15
>>>7/7 #division
1.0 # float type

As you can see, the division returns the result as a float (1.0). To obtain the result as an integer, you should write it as follows:

>>>7//7 #division
1 #int type

For the square root of a number-

>>>4**4
1024

For remainder/modulus–

>>>13%3
1

When performing complex calculations, follow the BIDMAS Rule to ensure accurate results. Let’s look at an example to understand how this rule impacts calculations:

>>>6+3*3
15

• In this case, the result is 15 because the multiplication (*) operation takes precedence over addition (+) according to the BIDMAS Rule.
• If you want to perform the addition first, enclose it in parentheses (()), as brackets have a higher priority than multiplication (*) in BIDMAS.
• Observe how the result changes simply by using parentheses in the calculation.

>>>(6+4)*3
30

Store the number in variables-

Just like other programming languages, you can use variables in Python to store numbers and perform various calculations. Check the simple example below:

>>>age=35    #store number in variable "age"
>>>age          #print "age"
35                   #OUTPUT

#perform addition on "age"
>>>age+5
40

For example, If you use”age+5″, the compiler simply adds 5 to the variable ‘age’ whose original value is 23. In this case, you keep in mind that this operation does not alter the original value of the variable. This means if you enter “age” it will return 23. Let’s do this exercise here:

>>>age
35              #print 35 again

You can change or update the original value of the variable “age” by doing the following.-

>>>age= age+5     #add 5 in variable "age", not direct.
>>>age                  #print age
40                           #OUTPUT

Here is another way to do the same:

>>> age+=5     #add 5 in variable "age", not direct.
>>>age            #print age
40                     #OUTPUT

Similar to addition, you can carry out other calculations on a variable with just a few lines of code. Let’s have a look-

>>>age=35 
>>>age-=5 #subtraction
>>>age
30

>>>age/=2 #division
>>>age
20.0

I hope you now have a clear grasp of numbers in Python. Now, let’s move on to performing advanced calculations.

Let’s see one example-

>>>wages=1200
>>>bills=250
>>>rent=600
>>>food=250
>>>savings= wages-bills-rent-food #formula to find saving
>>>savings
100 

In this example, we are calculating the total savings for the month. See how simple it is in Python – just store the values in variables, apply the formula, and get the result instantly.

And here we go, congratulations! You successfully learned numbers in Python.

In the next part of the tutorial, we will start exploring Python Strings.

Enjoy Learning Python!