Python Data Hierarchy
An introduction to main Python data hierarchy
Note: This will be updated and linked to further content development
A subset of the data types that are built into Python.
Numbers
We use numbers all the time. Numbers can either be integrals or non-integrals.
Arithmetic operators and arithmetic built-in functions will return numbers. Numeric objects are immutable. In other words, when a number is created, it cannot be changes or a number within it be replaced. Python numbers are the same as mathematical numbers, but subject to the limitations of numerical representation in computers.
- Integral
- Integers: A whole number that can be positive, negative or zero.
- Booleans: A data type that has one of two possible values (
true
orfalse
)
- Non-integral
- Floats: A number that has a
decimal
place. We use float data type when we need more precision. - Decimals: The decimal data type is an exact numeric defined by its
precision
(total number of digits) andscale
(number of digits to the right of the decimal point). - Complexnumbers: A combination of a real and an imaginary number in the form
a + bi
wherea
andb
are real numbers, andi
is the \”unit imaginary number\”√(−1)
- Fractions: Fraction of a number, for example 1/8, 3/4, 5/8 etc.
- Floats: A number that has a
Collections
- Sequences: Sequences represent finite ordered sets indexed by natural numbers.
- Mutable: Mutable sequences can be changed after they are created.
- Lists
- Immutable: Immutable sequences can NOT be changed after they are created.
- Tuples
- Strings
- Mutable: Mutable sequences can be changed after they are created.
- Sets
- Mutable
- Sets
- Immutable
- Frozen sets
- Mutable
- Mappings: These represent finite sets of objects indexed by arbitrary index sets.
- Dictionaries: These represent finite sets of objects indexed by nearly arbitrary values.
- Callables
- User-Defined Functions
- Generators
- Classes
- Instance Methods
- Built-in Functions (for example;
len(),
open()
) - Built-in Methods (for example;
my_list.append(x)
)
Singletons
- None
- It means that there is no value (empty record). This can be used in function to explicitly return nothing. This type has a single value (
singletons
). This object is accessed through the built-in nameNone
.None
truth value isfalse
.
- It means that there is no value (empty record). This can be used in function to explicitly return nothing. This type has a single value (
- Ellipsis
- Similar to
None
,Ellipsis
has a single value. This object is accessed through the built-in nameEllipsis
. It is used to indicate the presence of the \”…\” syntax in a slice.Ellipsis
truth value istrue
.
- Similar to
You can read more on Python Data Types in Python documentation here