Python Data Types and Structures

Python provides various data types and structures to store and manipulate data effectively. In this lesson, we’ll explore fundamental data types like integers, floats, and strings, as well as data structures like lists and dictionaries.

Basic Data Types

Python has several basic data types:

• Integer: Whole numbers (e.g., 10).
• Float: Numbers with decimals (e.g., 3.14).
• String: Text enclosed in quotes (e.g., 'Hello').

Lists

A list is a collection of items in a specific order. Lists are defined using square brackets ([]) and can hold any data type.

Example:

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 'apple', 'banana']

Accessing List Elements

You can access elements in a list using their index. Indexing starts at 0 in Python.

Example:

my_list[0] returns 1 from the list [1, 2, 3].

Dictionaries

A dictionary stores data in key-value pairs. It’s defined using curly braces ({}).

Example:

my_dict = {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 25}

Accessing Dictionary Values

You can access a value in a dictionary using its key.

Example:

my_dict['name'] returns 'Alice' from the dictionary {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 25}.

Combining Lists and Dictionaries

You can nest lists inside dictionaries or dictionaries inside lists for more complex data structures.

Example:

my_data = {'fruits': ['apple', 'banana'], 'vegetables': ['carrot', 'spinach']}

Recap

You’ve learned about basic Python data types and structures:

• Integers: For whole numbers.
• Strings: For text.
• Lists: Ordered collections of items.
• Dictionaries: Key-value pairs for structured data.

Congratulations!

You’ve completed the lesson on Python Data Types and Structures. Continue to the next lesson to learn about file operations in Python.