Numeric literals in Python

In Python, numeric literals are used to represent numerical values directly in the code. There are several types of numeric literals in Python, including integers, floating-point numbers, and complex numbers. Here’s an overview of each type:

Integer literals: Integers are whole numbers without any fractional part. They can be written in decimal, binary, octal, or hexadecimal notation.

Floating-point literals: Floating-point numbers represent real numbers with a fractional part. They are written using the decimal notation with or without an exponent.

Complex number literals: Complex numbers are written as real + imagj, where real is the real part, imag is the imaginary part, and j represents the imaginary unit.

Basic examples:

# Integer literals
a = 42
b = 0b101010
c = 0o52
d = 0x2A

# Floating-point literals
pi = 3.14159
small_value = 2.5e-3

# Complex number literals
z = 3 + 4j

Python automatically determines the type of the numeric literal based on the syntax used. For instance, without any suffix, a whole number is considered an integer, and a number with a decimal point or exponent is treated as a floating-point number. Complex literals are identified by the presence of the j suffix.

Numeric literals in Python example

Let’s see an example that showcases different types of numeric literals in Python:

# Integer literals
decimal_number = 42
binary_number = 0b101010
octal_number = 0o52
hexadecimal_number = 0x2A

# Floating-point literals
pi = 3.14159
small_value = 2.5e-3

# Complex number literals
complex_number = 3 + 4j

# Printing the values
print("Integer literals:")
print("Decimal:", decimal_number)
print("Binary:", binary_number)
print("Octal:", octal_number)
print("Hexadecimal:", hexadecimal_number)

print("\nFloating-point literals:")
print("Pi:", pi)
print("Small value:", small_value)

print("\nComplex number literal:")
print("Complex number:", complex_number)

Output:

In this example, we have used different numeric literals for various data types. The output shows the values assigned to each variable using the respective numeric literal representation.

Note: The binary, octal, and hexadecimal literals are internally converted to decimal values, as you can see in the output.

Note: IDE: PyCharm 2021.3.3 (Community Edition)

Windows 10

Python 3.10.1

All Python Examples are in Python 3, so Maybe its different from python 2 or upgraded versions.