The Basic Types

Python has four basic types you'll use constantly: int (whole numbers), float (decimals), str (text), and bool (True/False).

age = 20          # int
gpa = 4.5         # float
name = "Ada"      # str
passed = True     # bool

Check any value's type with type():

print(type(age))

Arithmetic operators

print(7 + 3)   # 10
print(7 - 3)   # 4
print(7 * 3)   # 21
print(7 / 3)   # 2.333... -- / always gives a float
print(7 // 3)  # 2 -- // is floor (integer) division
print(7 % 3)   # 1 -- % is the remainder
print(7 ** 2)  # 49 -- ** is exponentiation

Comparison and logical operators

print(5 == 5)        # True
print(5 != 3)         # True
print(5 > 3 and 2 < 4)  # True
print(5 > 3 or 2 > 4)   # True
print(not True)         # False

Why This Matters for Your Exams

/ vs // is the single most common source of "off by a fraction" bugs -- / always produces a float in Python 3, even when both operands are whole numbers, unlike some other languages.

Try it yourself