Numeric Types in Python

In any OOP language, there are many different data types. In Python, number data types are used to store numeric values. There are four different numerical types in Python:

1. int (plain integers): this one is pretty standard — plain integers are just positive or negative whole numbers.
2. long (long integers): long integers are integers of infinite size. They look just like plain integers except they’re followed by the letter “L” (ex: 150L).
3. float (floating point real values): floats represent real numbers, but are written with decimal points (or scientific notaion) to divide the whole number into fractional parts. 
4. complex (complex numbers): represented by the formula a + bJ, where a and b are floats, and J is the square root of -1 (the result of which is an imaginary number). Complex numbers are used sparingly in Python. 

 

Applying the function call operator () to a numeric type creates an instance of that type. For example: calling int(x) will convert x to a plain integer. This can also be used with the long, float, and complex types.