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A Quick Tour of Variables and Data Types in Python

This tutorial is a part of Data Analysis with Python: Zero to Pandas and Zero to Data Analyst Science
Bootcamp.

These tutorials take a practical and coding-focused approach. The best way to learn the material is to
execute the code and experiment with it yourself.

This tutorial covers the following topics:

Storing information using variables

Primitive data types in Python: Integer, Float, Boolean, None and String

Built-in data structures in Python: List, Tuple and Dictionary

 Methods and operators supported by built-in data types
Sign In

How to run the code

This tutorial is an executable Jupyter notebook hosted on Jovian. You can run this tutorial and experiment
with the code examples in a couple of ways: using free online resources (recommended) or on your
computer.

Option 1: Running using free online resources (1-click, recommended)

The easiest way to start executing the code is to click the Run button at the top of this page and select
Run on Binder. You can also select "Run on Colab" or "Run on Kaggle", but you'll need to create an account
on Google Colab or Kaggle to use these platforms.

Option 2: Running on your computer locally

To run the code on your computer locally, you'll need to set up Python, download the notebook and install
the required libraries. We recommend using the Conda distribution of Python. Click the Run button at the
top of this page, select the Run Locally option, and follow the instructions.

Jupyter Notebooks: This tutorial is a Jupyter notebook - a document made of cells. Each cell can contain
code written in Python or explanations in plain English. You can execute code cells and view the results,
e.g., numbers, messages, graphs, tables, files, etc. instantly within the notebook. Jupyter is a powerful
platform for experimentation and analysis. Don't be afraid to mess around with the code & break things -
you'll learn a lot by encountering and fixing errors. You can use the "Kernel > Restart & Clear Output"
menu option to clear all outputs and start again from the top.

Storing information using variables

Computers are useful for two purposes: storing information (also known as data) and performing
operations on stored data. While working with a programming language such as Python, data is stored in
variables. You can think of variables are containers for storing data. The data stored within a variable is
called its value. Creating variables in Python is pretty easy, as we've already seen in the previous tutorial.

my_favorite_color = "blue"

my_favorite_color

'blue'

A variable is created using an assignment statement. It begins with the variable's name, followed by the
assignment operator = followed by the value to be stored within the variable. Note that the assignment
operator = is different from the equality comparison operator == .
You can also assign values to multiple variables in a single statement by separating the variable names
and values with commas. Sign In

color1, color2, color3 = "red", "green", "blue"

color1

'red'

color2

'green'

color3

'blue'

You can assign the same value to multiple variables by chaining multiple assignment operations within a
single statement.

color4 = color5 = color6 = "magenta"

color4

'magenta'

color5

'magenta'

color6

'magenta'

You can change the value stored within a variable by assigning a new value to it using another assignment
statement. Be careful while reassigning variables: when you assign a new value to the variable, the old
value is lost and no longer accessible.

my_favorite_color = "red"

my_favorite_color

'red'

While reassigning a variable, you can also use the variable's previous value to compute the new value.
 counter = 10 Sign In

counter = counter + 1

counter

11

The pattern var = var op something (where op is an arithmetic operator like + , - , * , / ) is

very common, so Python provides a shorthand syntax for it.

counter = 10

# Same as `counter = counter + 4`

counter += 4

counter

14

Variable names can be short ( a , x , y , etc.) or descriptive ( my_favorite_color ,

profit_margin , the_3_musketeers , etc.). However, you must follow these rules while naming
Python variables:

A variable's name must start with a letter or the underscore character _. It cannot begin with a number.
A variable name can only contain lowercase (small) or uppercase (capital) letters, digits, or underscores
(a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and _).

Variable names are case-sensitive, i.e., a_variable, A_Variable, and A_VARIABLE are all different
variables.

Here are some valid variable names:

a_variable = 23
is_today_Saturday = False

my_favorite_car = "Delorean"

the_3_musketeers = ["Athos", "Porthos", "Aramis"]

Let's try creating some variables with invalid names. Python prints a syntax error if your variable's name is
invalid.

Syntax: The syntax of a programming language refers to the rules that govern the structure of a valid
instruction or statement. If a statement does not follow these rules, Python stops execution and informs
 you that there is a syntax error. You can think of syntax as the rules of grammar for a programming
language. Sign In

a variable = 23

File "<ipython-input-20-b4f9daa715a5>", line 1

a variable = 23

SyntaxError: invalid syntax

is_today_$aturday = False

File "<ipython-input-21-3785425ca227>", line 1

is_today_$aturday = False

SyntaxError: invalid syntax

my-favorite-car = "Delorean"

File "<ipython-input-22-829f5ed5b10b>", line 1

my-favorite-car = "Delorean"

^
SyntaxError: cannot assign to operator

3_musketeers = ["Athos", "Porthos", "Aramis"]

File "<ipython-input-23-41d8638a15bb>", line 1

3_musketeers = ["Athos", "Porthos", "Aramis"]

SyntaxError: invalid decimal literal

Save and upload your notebook

Whether you're running this Jupyter notebook online or on your computer, it's essential to save your work
from time to time. You can continue working on a saved notebook later or share it with friends and
colleagues to let them execute your code. Jovian offers an easy way of saving and sharing your Jupyter
notebooks online.

# Install the jovian library

!pip install jovian --upgrade --quiet

import jovian

jovian.commit(project='python-variables-and-data-types')

[jovian] Attempting to save notebook..

[jovian] Updating notebook "samanvitha/python-variables-and-data-types" on

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https://jovian.ai

[jovian] Uploading notebook..

[jovian] Uploading additional files...

[jovian] Committed successfully! https://jovian.ai/samanvitha/python-

variables-and-data-types

'https://jovian.ai/samanvitha/python-variables-and-data-types'

The first time you run jovian.commit , you'll be asked to provide an API Key to securely upload the
notebook to your Jovian account. You can get the API key from your Jovian profile page after logging in /
signing up.

jovian.commit uploads the notebook to your Jovian account, captures the Python environment, and
creates a shareable link for your notebook, as shown above. You can use this link to share your work and
let anyone (including you) run your notebooks and reproduce your work.

Built-in data types in Python

Any data or information stored within a Python variable has a type. You can view the type of data stored
within a variable using the type function.

a_variable

23

type(a_variable)

int

is_today_Saturday

False

type(is_today_Saturday)

bool

my_favorite_car

'Delorean'

type(my_favorite_car)

str
 the_3_musketeers Sign In

['Athos', 'Porthos', 'Aramis']

type(the_3_musketeers)

list

Python has several built-in data types for storing different kinds of information in variables. Following are
some commonly used data types:

1. Integer
2. Float
3. Boolean
4. None
5. String
6. List
7. Tuple
8. Dictionary

Integer, float, boolean, None, and string are primitive data types because they represent a single value.
Other data types like list, tuple, and dictionary are often called data structures or containers because they
hold multiple pieces of data together.

Integer
Integers represent positive or negative whole numbers, from negative infinity to infinity. Note that integers
should not include decimal points. Integers have the type int .

current_year = 2020

current_year

2020

type(current_year)

int

Unlike some other programming languages, integers in Python can be arbitrarily large (or small). There's
no lowest or highest value for integers, and there's just one int type (as opposed to short , int ,
long , long long , unsigned int , etc. in C/C++/Java).

a_large_negative_number = -23374038374832934334234317348343
 Sign In
a_large_negative_number

-23374038374832934334234317348343

type(a_large_negative_number)

int

Float
Floats (or floating-point numbers) are numbers with a decimal point. There are no limits on the value or the
number of digits before or after the decimal point. Floating-point numbers have the type float .

pi = 3.141592653589793238

pi

3.141592653589793

type(pi)

float

Note that a whole number is treated as a float if written with a decimal point, even though the decimal
portion of the number is zero.

a_number = 3.0

a_number

3.0

type(a_number)

float

another_number = 4.

another_number

4.0

type(another_number)
float
Sign In
Floating point numbers can also be written using the scientific notation with an "e" to indicate the power of
10.

one_hundredth = 1e-2

one_hundredth

0.01

type(one_hundredth)

float

avogadro_number = 6.02214076e23

avogadro_number

6.02214076e+23

type(avogadro_number)

float

You can convert floats into integers and vice versa using the float and int functions. The operation
of converting one type of value into another is called casting.

float(current_year)

2020.0

float(a_large_negative_number)

-2.3374038374832935e+31

int(pi)

int(avogadro_number)

602214075999999987023872
While performing arithmetic operations, integers are automatically converted to float s if any of the Sign In
operands is a float . Also, the division operator / always returns a float , even if both operands are
integers. Use the // operator if you want the result of the division to be an int .

type(45 * 3.0)

float

type(45 * 3)

int

type(10/3)

float

type(10/2)

float

type(10//2)

int

Boolean
Booleans represent one of 2 values: True and False . Booleans have the type bool .

is_today_Sunday = True

is_today_Sunday

True

type(is_today_Saturday)

bool

Booleans are generally the result of a comparison operation, e.g., == , >= , etc.

cost_of_ice_bag = 1.25

is_ice_bag_expensive = cost_of_ice_bag >= 10

is_ice_bag_expensive
False
Sign In

type(is_ice_bag_expensive)

bool

Booleans are automatically converted to int s when used in arithmetic operations. True is converted
to 1 and False is converted to 0 .

5 + False

3. + True

4.0

Any value in Python can be converted to a Boolean using the bool function.

Only the following values evaluate to False (they are often called falsy values):

1. The value False itself

2. The integer 0

3. The float 0.0

4. The empty value None

5. The empty text ""

6. The empty list []

7. The empty tuple ()

8. The empty dictionary {}

9. The empty set set()

10. The empty range range(0)

Everything else evaluates to True (a value that evaluates to True is often called a truthy value).

bool(False)

False

bool(0)

False

bool(0.0)
False
Sign In

bool(None)

False

bool("")

False

bool([])

False

bool(())

False

bool({})

False

bool(set())

False

bool(range(0))

False

bool(True), bool(1), bool(2.0), bool("hello"), bool([1,2]), bool((2,3)), bool(range(

(True, True, True, True, True, True, True)

None
The None type includes a single value None , used to indicate the absence of a value. None has the type
NoneType . It is often used to declare a variable whose value may be assigned later.

nothing = None

type(nothing)

NoneType
String Sign In

A string is used to represent text (a string of characters) in Python. Strings must be surrounded using
quotations (either the single quote ' or the double quote " ). Strings have the type string .

today = "Saturday"

today

'Saturday'

type(today)

str

You can use single quotes inside a string written with double quotes, and vice versa.

my_favorite_movie = "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"

my_favorite_movie

"One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"

my_favorite_pun = 'Thanks for explaining the word "many" to me, it means a lot.'

my_favorite_pun

'Thanks for explaining the word "many" to me, it means a lot.'

To use a double quote within a string written with double quotes, escape the inner quotes by prefixing
them with the \ character.

another_pun = "The first time I got a universal remote control, I thought to myself

another_pun

'The first time I got a universal remote control, I thought to myself "This
changes everything".'

Strings created using single or double quotes must begin and end on the same line. To create multiline
strings, use three single quotes ''' or three double quotes """ to begin and end the string. Line
breaks are represented using the newline character \n .
 yet_another_pun = '''Son: "Dad, can you tell me what a solar eclipse is?"
Sign In
Dad: "No sun."'''

yet_another_pun

'Son: "Dad, can you tell me what a solar eclipse is?" \nDad: "No sun."'

Multiline strings are best displayed using the print function.

print(yet_another_pun)

Son: "Dad, can you tell me what a solar eclipse is?"

Dad: "No sun."

a_music_pun = """

Two windmills are standing in a field and one asks the other,

"What kind of music do you like?"

The other says,

"I'm a big metal fan."

"""

print(a_music_pun)

Two windmills are standing in a field and one asks the other,

"What kind of music do you like?"

The other says,

"I'm a big metal fan."

You can check the length of a string using the len function.

len(my_favorite_movie)

31

Note that special characters like \n and escaped characters like \" count as a single character, even
though they are written and sometimes printed as two characters.

multiline_string = """a

b"""

multiline_string

'a\nb'
Sign In

len(multiline_string)

A string can be converted into a list of characters using list function.

list(multiline_string)

['a', '\n', 'b']

Strings also support several list operations, which are discussed in the next section. We'll look at a couple
of examples here.

You can access individual characters within a string using the [] indexing notation. Note the character
indices go from 0 to n-1 , where n is the length of the string.

today = "Saturday"

today[0]

'S'

today[3]

'u'

today[7]

'y'

You can access a part of a string using by providing a start:end range instead of a single index in
[] .

today[5:8]

'day'

You can also check whether a string contains a some text using the in operator.

'day' in today

True

'Sun' in today
False Sign In

Two or more strings can be joined or concatenated using the + operator. Be careful while concatenating
strings, sometimes you may need to add a space character " " between words.

full_name = "Derek O'Brien"

greeting = "Hello"

greeting + full_name

"HelloDerek O'Brien"

greeting + " " + full_name + "!" # additional space

"Hello Derek O'Brien!"

Strings in Python have many built-in methods that are used to manipulate them. Let's try out some
common string methods.

Methods: Methods are functions associated with data types and are accessed using the . notation e.g.
variable_name.method() or "a string".method() . Methods are a powerful technique for
associating common operations with values of specific data types.

The .lower() , .upper() and .capitalize() methods are used to change the case of the
characters.

today.lower()

'saturday'

"saturday".upper()

'SATURDAY'

"monday".capitalize() # changes first character to uppercase

'Monday'

The .replace method replaces a part of the string with another string. It takes the portion to be
replaced and the replacement text as inputs or arguments.

another_day = today.replace("Satur", "Wednes")

 another_day Sign In

'Wednesday'

Note that replace returns a new string, and the original string is not modified.

today

'Saturday'

The .split method splits a string into a list of strings at every occurrence of provided character(s).

"Sun,Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat".split(",")

['Sun', 'Mon', 'Tue', 'Wed', 'Thu', 'Fri', 'Sat']

The .strip method removes whitespace characters from the beginning and end of a string.

a_long_line = " This is a long line with some space before, after, and som

a_long_line_stripped = a_long_line.strip()

a_long_line_stripped

'This is a long line with some space before, after, and some space in the
middle..'

The .format method combines values of other data types, e.g., integers, floats, booleans, lists, etc. with
strings. You can use format to construct output messages for display.

# Input variables

cost_of_ice_bag = 1.25

profit_margin = .2

number_of_bags = 500

# Template for output message

output_template = """If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ {} per bag, with a profi
then the total profit it makes by selling {} ice bags is $ {}."""

print(output_template)

If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ {} per bag, with a profit margin of {}
%,

then the total profit it makes by selling {} ice bags is $ {}.

 # Inserting values into the string

Sign In
total_profit = cost_of_ice_bag * profit_margin * number_of_bags

output_message = output_template.format(cost_of_ice_bag, profit_margin*100, number_o

print(output_message)

If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ 1.25 per bag, with a profit margin of
20.0 %,

then the total profit it makes by selling 500 ice bags is $ 125.0.

Notice how the placeholders {} in the output_template string are replaced with the arguments
provided to the .format method.

It is also possible to use the string concatenation operator + to combine strings with other values.
However, those values must first be converted to strings using the str function.

"If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ " + cost_of_ice_bag + ", with a profit margi

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

TypeError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-127-78b7958ec7cc> in <module>

----> 1 "If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ " + cost_of_ice_bag + ", with
a profit margin of " + profit_margin

TypeError: can only concatenate str (not "float") to str

"If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ " + str(cost_of_ice_bag) + ", with a profit

'If a grocery store sells ice bags at $ 1.25, with a profit margin of 0.2'

You can str to convert a value of any data type into a string.

str(23)

'23'

str(23.432)

'23.432'

str(True)

'True'

the_3_musketeers = ["Athos", "Porthos", "Aramis"]

str(the_3_musketeers)
"['Athos', 'Porthos', 'Aramis']"
Sign In
Note that all string methods return new values and DO NOT change the existing string. You can find a full
list of string methods here: https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_ref_string.asp.

Strings also support the comparison operators == and != for checking whether two strings are equal.

first_name = "John"

first_name == "Doe"

False

first_name == "John"

True

first_name != "Jane"

True

We've looked at the primitive data types in Python. We're now ready to explore non-primitive data
structures, also known as containers.

Before continuing, let us run jovian.commit once again to record another snapshot of our notebook.

jovian.commit()

[jovian] Attempting to save notebook..

[jovian] Updating notebook "samanvitha/python-variables-and-data-types" on

https://jovian.ai

[jovian] Uploading notebook..

[jovian] Uploading additional files...

[jovian] Committed successfully! https://jovian.ai/samanvitha/python-

variables-and-data-types

'https://jovian.ai/samanvitha/python-variables-and-data-types'

Running jovian.commit multiple times within a notebook records new versions automatically. You will
continue to have access to all the previous versions of your notebook, using the versions dropdown on the
notebook's Jovian.

List
A list in Python is an ordered collection of values. Lists can hold values of different data types and support
operations to add, remove, and change values. Lists have the type list .
To create a list, enclose a sequence of values within square brackets [ and ] , separated by commas.
Sign In

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

fruits

['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

type(fruits)

list

Let's try creating a list containing values of different data types, including another list.

a_list = [23, 'hello', None, 3.14, fruits, 3 <= 5]

a_list

[23, 'hello', None, 3.14, ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'], True]

empty_list = []

empty_list

[]

To determine the number of values in a list, use the len function. You can use len to determine the
number of values in several other data types.

len(fruits)

print("Number of fruits:", len(fruits))

Number of fruits: 3

len(a_list)

len(empty_list)

0
You can access an element from the list using its index, e.g., fruits[2] returns the element at index 2 Sign In
within the list fruits . The starting index of a list is 0.

fruits[0]

'apple'

fruits[1]

'banana'

fruits[2]

'cherry'

If you try to access an index equal to or higher than the length of the list, Python returns an IndexError .

fruits[3]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IndexError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-152-7ceeafd384d7> in <module>

----> 1 fruits[3]

IndexError: list index out of range

fruits[4]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IndexError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-153-b8c91da6ba3a> in <module>

----> 1 fruits[4]

IndexError: list index out of range

You can use negative indices to access elements from the end of a list, e.g., fruits[-1] returns the
last element, fruits[-2] returns the second last element, and so on.

fruits[-1]

'cherry'

fruits[-2]

'banana'
 fruits[-3] Sign In

'apple'

fruits[-4]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

IndexError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-157-1cb2d66442ee> in <module>

----> 1 fruits[-4]

IndexError: list index out of range

You can also access a range of values from the list. The result is itself a list. Let us look at some
examples.

a_list = [23, 'hello', None, 3.14, fruits, 3 <= 5]

a_list

[23, 'hello', None, 3.14, ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'], True]

len(a_list)

a_list[2:5]

[None, 3.14, ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']]

Note that the range 2:5 includes the element at the start index 2 but does not include the element at
the end index 5 . So, the result has 3 values (index 2 , 3 , and 4 ).

Here are some experiments you should try out (use the empty cells below):

Try setting one or both indices of the range are larger than the size of the list, e.g., a_list[2:10]

Try setting the start index of the range to be larger than the end index, e.g., a_list[12:10]

Try leaving out the start or end index of a range, e.g., a_list[2:] or a_list[:5]

Try using negative indices for the range, e.g., a_list[-2:-5] or a_list[-5:-2] (can you explain the
results?)

The flexible and interactive nature of Jupyter notebooks makes them an excellent tool for learning and
experimentation. If you are new to Python, you can resolve most questions as soon as they arise simply
by typing the code into a cell and executing it. Let your curiosity run wild, discover what Python is
capable of and what it isn't!
 Sign In

You can also change the value at a specific index within a list using the assignment operation.

fruits

['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

fruits[1] = 'blueberry'

fruits

['apple', 'blueberry', 'cherry']

A new value can be added to the end of a list using the append method.

fruits.append('dates')

fruits

['apple', 'blueberry', 'cherry', 'dates']

A new value can also be inserted at a specific index using the insert method.

fruits.insert(1, 'banana')

fruits

['apple', 'banana', 'blueberry', 'cherry', 'dates']

You can remove a value from a list using the remove method.

fruits.remove('blueberry')

fruits
['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dates'] Sign In

What happens if a list has multiple instances of the value passed to .remove ? Try it out.

To remove an element from a specific index, use the pop method. The method also returns the removed
element.

fruits

['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'dates']

fruits.pop(1)

'banana'

fruits

['apple', 'cherry', 'dates']

If no index is provided, the pop method removes the last element of the list.

fruits.pop()

'dates'

fruits

['apple', 'cherry']

You can test whether a list contains a value using the in operator.

'pineapple' in fruits

False

'cherry' in fruits

True

To combine two or more lists, use the + operator. This operation is also called concatenation.
 fruits Sign In

['apple', 'cherry']

more_fruits = fruits + ['pineapple', 'tomato', 'guava'] + ['dates', 'banana']

more_fruits

['apple', 'cherry', 'pineapple', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates', 'banana']

To create a copy of a list, use the copy method. Modifying the copied list does not affect the original.

more_fruits_copy = more_fruits.copy()

more_fruits_copy

['apple', 'cherry', 'pineapple', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates', 'banana']

# Modify the copy

more_fruits_copy.remove('pineapple')

more_fruits_copy.pop()

more_fruits_copy

['apple', 'cherry', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates']

# Original list remains unchanged

more_fruits

['apple', 'cherry', 'pineapple', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates', 'banana']

Note that you cannot create a copy of a list by simply creating a new variable using the assignment
operator = . The new variable will point to the same list, and any modifications performed using either
variable will affect the other.

more_fruits

['apple', 'cherry', 'pineapple', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates', 'banana']

more_fruits_not_a_copy = more_fruits

more_fruits_not_a_copy.remove('pineapple')

more_fruits_not_a_copy.pop()

'banana'
 more_fruits_not_a_copy Sign In

['apple', 'cherry', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates']

more_fruits

['apple', 'cherry', 'tomato', 'guava', 'dates']

Just like strings, there are several in-built methods to manipulate a list. However, unlike strings, most list
methods modify the original list rather than returning a new one. Check out some common list operations
here: https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_ref_list.asp .

Following are some exercises you can try out with list methods (use the blank code cells below):

Reverse the order of elements in a list

Add the elements of one list at the end of another list
Sort a list of strings in alphabetical order

Sort a list of numbers in decreasing order

Tuple
A tuple is an ordered collection of values, similar to a list. However, it is not possible to add, remove, or
modify values in a tuple. A tuple is created by enclosing values within parentheses ( and ) , separated
by commas.

Any data structure that cannot be modified after creation is called immutable. You can think of tuples as
immutable lists.

Let's try some experiments with tuples.

fruits = ('apple', 'cherry', 'dates')

 # check no. of elements
Sign In
len(fruits)

# get an element (positive index)

fruits[0]

'apple'

# get an element (negative index)

fruits[-2]

'cherry'

# check if it contains an element

'dates' in fruits

True

# try to change an element

fruits[0] = 'avocado'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

TypeError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-195-eea1d48cc8b5> in <module>

1 # try to change an element

----> 2 fruits[0] = 'avocado'

TypeError: 'tuple' object does not support item assignment

# try to append an element

fruits.append('blueberry')

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AttributeError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-196-e5ea20adaaf8> in <module>

1 # try to append an element

----> 2 fruits.append('blueberry')

AttributeError: 'tuple' object has no attribute 'append'

# try to remove an element

fruits.remove('apple')

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

AttributeError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-197-37543d45b6b4> in <module>

1 # try to remove an element

Sign In
----> 2 fruits.remove('apple')

AttributeError: 'tuple' object has no attribute 'remove'

You can also skip the parantheses ( and ) while creating a tuple. Python automatically converts
comma-separated values into a tuple.

the_3_musketeers = 'Athos', 'Porthos', 'Aramis'

the_3_musketeers

('Athos', 'Porthos', 'Aramis')

You can also create a tuple with just one element by typing a comma after it. Just wrapping it with
parentheses ( and ) won't make it a tuple.

single_element_tuple = 4,

single_element_tuple

(4,)

another_single_element_tuple = (4,)

another_single_element_tuple

(4,)

not_a_tuple = (4)

not_a_tuple

Tuples are often used to create multiple variables with a single statement.

point = (3, 4)

point_x, point_y = point

point_x
3
Sign In

point_y

You can convert a list into a tuple using the tuple function, and vice versa using the list function

tuple(['one', 'two', 'three'])

('one', 'two', 'three')

list(('Athos', 'Porthos', 'Aramis'))

['Athos', 'Porthos', 'Aramis']

Tuples have just two built-in methods: count and index . Can you figure out what they do? While you
look could look for documentation and examples online, there's an easier way to check a method's
documentation, using the help function.

a_tuple = 23, "hello", False, None, 23, 37, "hello"

help(a_tuple.count)

Help on built-in function count:

count(value, /) method of builtins.tuple instance

Return number of occurrences of value.

Within a Jupyter notebook, you can also start a code cell with ? and type the name of a function or
method. When you execute this cell, you will see the function/method's documentation in a pop-up
window.

?a_tuple.index

Try using count and index with a_tuple in the code cells below.

Dictionary
A dictionary is an unordered collection of items. Each item stored in a dictionary has a key and value. You
can use a key to retrieve the corresponding value from the dictionary. Dictionaries have the type dict . Sign In

Dictionaries are often used to store many pieces of information e.g. details about a person, in a single
variable. Dictionaries are created by enclosing key-value pairs within braces or curly brackets { and } .

person1 = {

'name': 'John Doe',

'sex': 'Male',

'age': 32,

'married': True

person1

{'name': 'John Doe', 'sex': 'Male', 'age': 32, 'married': True}

Dictionaries can also be created using the dict function.

person2 = dict(name='Jane Judy', sex='Female', age=28, married=False)

person2

{'name': 'Jane Judy', 'sex': 'Female', 'age': 28, 'married': False}

type(person1)

dict

Keys can be used to access values using square brackets [ and ] .

person1['name']

'John Doe'

person1['married']

True

person2['name']

'Jane Judy'

If a key isn't present in the dictionary, then a KeyError is thrown.

person1['address']
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sign In
KeyError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-223-f2b8bd2476d4> in <module>

----> 1 person1['address']

KeyError: 'address'

You can also use the get method to access the value associated with a key.

person2.get("name")

'Jane Judy'

The get method also accepts a default value, returned if the key is not present in the dictionary.

person2.get("address", "Unknown")

'Unknown'

You can check whether a key is present in a dictionary using the in operator.

'name' in person1

True

'address' in person1

False

You can change the value associated with a key using the assignment operator.

person2['married']

False

person2['married'] = True

person2['married']

True

The assignment operator can also be used to add new key-value pairs to the dictionary.

person1

{'name': 'John Doe', 'sex': 'Male', 'age': 32, 'married': True}

 person1['address'] = '1, Penny Lane'
Sign In

person1

{'name': 'John Doe',

'sex': 'Male',

'age': 32,

'married': True,

'address': '1, Penny Lane'}

To remove a key and the associated value from a dictionary, use the pop method.

person1.pop('address')

'1, Penny Lane'

person1

{'name': 'John Doe', 'sex': 'Male', 'age': 32, 'married': True}

Dictionaries also provide methods to view the list of keys, values, or key-value pairs inside it.

person1.keys()

dict_keys(['name', 'sex', 'age', 'married'])

person1.values()

dict_values(['John Doe', 'Male', 32, True])

person1.items()

dict_items([('name', 'John Doe'), ('sex', 'Male'), ('age', 32), ('married',

True)])

person1.items()[1]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

TypeError Traceback (most recent call last)

<ipython-input-239-b9fb361f2a9e> in <module>

----> 1 person1.items()[1]

TypeError: 'dict_items' object is not subscriptable

The results of keys , values , and items look like lists. However, they don't support the indexing
operator [] for retrieving elements.
Can you figure out how to access an element at a specific index from these results? Try it below. Hint: Use
the list function Sign In

Dictionaries provide many other methods. You can learn more about them here:
https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_ref_dictionary.asp .

Here are some experiments you can try out with dictionaries (use the empty cells below):

What happens if you use the same key multiple times while creating a dictionary?

How can you create a copy of a dictionary (modifying the copy should not change the original)?
Can the value associated with a key itself be a dictionary?

How can you add the key-value pairs from one dictionary into another dictionary? Hint: See the update
method.
Can the dictionary's keys be something other than a string, e.g., a number, boolean, list, etc.?

Further Reading
We've now completed our exploration of variables and common data types in Python. Following are some
resources to learn more about data types in Python:

Python official documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/index.html

Python Tutorial at W3Schools: https://www.w3schools.com/python/
Practical Python Programming: https://dabeaz-course.github.io/practical-python/Notes/Contents.html

You are now ready to move on to the next tutorial: Branching using conditional statements and loops in
Python
Let's save a snapshot of our notebook one final time using jovian.commit .
Sign In

jovian.commit()

[jovian] Attempting to save notebook..

[jovian] Updating notebook "samanvitha/python-variables-and-data-types" on

https://jovian.ai

[jovian] Uploading notebook..

[jovian] Uploading additional files...

[jovian] Committed successfully! https://jovian.ai/samanvitha/python-

variables-and-data-types

'https://jovian.ai/samanvitha/python-variables-and-data-types'

Questions for Revision

Try answering the following questions to test your understanding of the topics covered in this notebook:

1. What is a variable in Python?

2. How do you create a variable?
3. How do you check the value within a variable?

4. How do you create multiple variables in a single statement?

5. How do you create multiple variables with the same value?
6. How do you change the value of a variable?

7. How do you reassign a variable by modifying the previous value?

8. What does the statement counter += 4 do?

9. What are the rules for naming a variable?

10. Are variable names case-sensitive? Do a_variable, A_Variable, and A_VARIABLE represent the same
variable or different ones?

11. What is Syntax? Why is it important?

12. What happens if you execute a statement with invalid syntax?
13. How do you check the data type of a variable?
14. What are the built-in data types in Python?

15. What is a primitive data type?

16. What are the primitive data types available in Python?
17. What is a data structure or container data type?
18. What are the container types available in Python?

19. What kind of data does the Integer data type represent?
20. What are the numerical limits of the integer data type?
21. What kind of data does the float data type represent?
Sign In
22. How does Python decide if a given number is a float or an integer?

23. How can you create a variable which stores a whole number, e.g., 4 but has the float data type?
24. How do you create floats representing very large (e.g., 6.023 x 10^23) or very small numbers
(0.000000123)?

25. What does the expression 23e-12 represent?

26. Can floats be used to store numbers with unlimited precision?
27. What are the differences between integers and floats?

28. How do you convert an integer to a float?

29. How do you convert a float to an integer?
30. What is the result obtained when you convert 1.99 to an integer?

31. What are the data types of the results of the division operators / and //?
32. What kind of data does the Boolean data type represent?
33. Which types of Python operators return booleans as a result?
34. What happens if you try to use a boolean in arithmetic operation?

35. How can any value in Python be covered to a boolean?

36. What are truthy and falsy values?
37. What are the values in Python that evaluate to False?
38. Give some examples of values that evaluate to True.

39. What kind of data does the None data type represent?
40. What is the purpose of None?
41. What kind of data does the String data type represent?
42. What are the different ways of creating strings in Python?

43. What is the difference between strings creating using single quotes, i.e. ' and ' vs. those created using
double quotes, i.e. " and "?
44. How do you create multi-line strings in Python?

45. What is the newline character, \n?

46. What are escaped characters? How are they useful?

47. How do you check the length of a string?
48. How do you convert a string into a list of characters?
49. How do you access a specific character from a string?

50. How do you access a range of characters from a string?

51. How do you check if a specific character occurs in a string?
52. How do you check if a smaller string occurs within a bigger string?

53. How do you join two or more strings?

54. What are "methods" in Python? How are they different from functions?
Sign In
55. What do the .lower, .upper and .capitalize methods on strings do?
56. How do you replace a specific part of a string with something else?
57. How do you split the string "Sun,Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri,Sat" into a list of days?

58. How do you remove whitespace from the beginning and end of a string?

59. What is the string .format method used for? Can you give an example?

60. What are the benefits of using the .format method instead of string concatenation?
61. How do you convert a value of another type to a string?
62. How do you check if two strings have the same value?
63. Where can you find the list of all the methods supported by strings?

64. What is a list in Python?

65. How do you create a list?
66. Can a Python list contain values of different data types?

67. Can a list contain another list as an element within it?

68. Can you create a list without any values?
69. How do you check the length of a list in Python?
70. How do you retrieve a value from a list?

71. What is the smallest and largest index you can use to access elements from a list containing five
elements?
72. What happens if you try to access an index equal to or larger than the size of a list?

73. What happens if you try to access a negative index within a list?
74. How do you access a range of elements from a list?

75. How many elements does the list returned by the expression a_list[2:5] contain?

76. What do the ranges a_list[:2] and a_list[2:] represent?

77. How do you change the item stored at a specific index within a list?
78. How do you insert a new item at the beginning, middle, or end of a list?

79. How do you remove an item from al list?

80. How do you remove the item at a given index from a list?
81. How do you check if a list contains a value?
82. How do you combine two or most lists to create a larger list?

83. How do you create a copy of a list?

84. Does the expression a_new_list = a_list create a copy of the list a_list?
85. Where can you find the list of all the methods supported by lists?

86. What is a Tuple in Python?

87. How is a tuple different from a list?
 88. Can you add or remove elements in a tuple?
Sign In
89. How do you create a tuple with just one element?
90. How do you convert a tuple to a list and vice versa?

91. What are the count and index method of a Tuple used for?
92. What is a dictionary in Python?
93. How do you create a dictionary?

94. What are keys and values?

95. How do you access the value associated with a specific key in a dictionary?
96. What happens if you try to access the value for a key that doesn't exist in a dictionary?

97. What is the .get method of a dictionary used for?

98. How do you change the value associated with a key in a dictionary?
99. How do you add or remove a key-value pair in a dictionary?
100. How do you access the keys, values, and key-value pairs within a dictionary?