Floats in Python

Floats

Exploring Floats in Python

Decimal numbers

In Python, a float is a numeric data type that represents decimal numbers. Floats are commonly used for storing and performing calculations involving numbers with fractional parts.

Creating Floats

To create a float, you can simply assign a decimal number to a variable . For example:

my_float = 3.14

In this example, we created a float with the value 3.14 and assigned it to the variable my_float .

Conversion

Floats can be converted to other data types using built-in functions. Here are a few commonly used conversion functions:

  • int()
    - Converts a float to an integer by truncating the decimal part.
  • str()
    - Converts a float to a string representation.

Float Methods

Floats in Python have several built-in methods that allow us to perform operations and access information about the float. Here are a few commonly used float methods:

is_integer()
Returns True if the float is an integer, and False otherwise.
as_integer_ratio()
Returns the float as a ratio of two integers.
round()
Rounds the float to the nearest whole number or specified number of decimal places.

Example

Let's see an example that demonstrates some float methods in action:

my_float = 3.14159
is_int = my_float.is_integer()
ratio = my_float.as_integer_ratio()
rounded = my_float.round(2)

After running this code, we can access the computed values stored in the respective variables. For example:

print(is_int)  # Outputs whether the float is an integer or not
print(ratio) # Outputs the float as a ratio of two integers
print(rounded) # Outputs the float rounded to 2 decimal places

By utilizing float methods and understanding conversion, we can perform various calculations and manipulations with decimal numbers.

Working with decimal numbers

Floats are an important data type in Python for representing and working with decimal numbers. By understanding how to create floats, perform conversions, and utilize float methods, you can handle decimal calculations and manipulate decimal values effectively. Keep exploring and experimenting with floats to enhance your programming skills!