Python Numbers

Learn about numeric data types in Python: integers, floats, and complex numbers.

Python Numbers

There are three numeric types in Python:

  • int
  • float
  • complex

Variables of numeric types are created when you assign a value to them:

Example

x = 1    # int
y = 2.8  # float
z = 1j   # complex

To verify the type of any object in Python, use the type() function:

Example

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))

Int

Int, or integer, is a whole number, positive or negative, without decimals, of unlimited length.

Example

x = 1
y = 35656222554887711
z = -3255522

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))

Float

Float, or "floating point number" is a number, positive or negative, containing one or more decimals.

Example

x = 1.10
y = 1.0
z = -35.59

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))

Float can also be scientific numbers with an "e" to indicate the power of 10.

Example

x = 35e3
y = 12E4
z = -87.7e100

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))

Complex

Complex numbers are written with a "j" as the imaginary part:

Example

x = 3+5j
y = 5j
z = -5j

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))

Type Conversion

You can convert from one type to another with the int(), float(), and complex() methods:

Example

x = 1    # int
y = 2.8  # float
z = 1j   # complex

# convert from int to float:
a = float(x)

# convert from float to int:
b = int(y)

# convert from int to complex:
c = complex(x)

print(a)
print(b)
print(c)

print(type(a))
print(type(b))
print(type(c))

Note: You cannot convert complex numbers into another number type.

Random Number

Python does not have a random() function to make a random number, but Python has a built-in module called random that can be used to make random numbers:

Example

import random

print(random.randrange(1, 10))

Number Methods

Python has several built-in functions for working with numbers:

abs()

Returns the absolute value of a number

print(abs(-7.25))

round()

Rounds a number to a specified number of decimals

print(round(8.6))

max()

Returns the largest item in an iterable

print(max(5, 10, 25))

min()

Returns the smallest item in an iterable

print(min(5, 10, 25))

pow()

Returns the value of x to the power of y

print(pow(4, 3))

sum()

Sums the items of an iterable

print(sum([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]))