6 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier About Python Numbers

 

6. Fraction Module for Rational Numbers

The fractions module provides support for rational number arithmetic.

from fractions import Fraction

a = Fraction(1, 3)

b = Fraction(2, 3)

c = a + b

print(c)  

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1

5. Decimal Module for Precise Calculations

For financial and other applications requiring precise decimal representation, the decimal module is very useful.

from decimal import Decimal, getcontext

getcontext().prec = 6  

a = Decimal('0.1')

b = Decimal('0.2')

c = a + b

print(c)  

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0.3

4. Built-In Functions for Numerical Operations

Python provides several built-in functions to perform various numerical operations, such as abs(), round(), pow(), and many more.

print(abs(-5))  

print(round(3.14159, 2))  

print(pow(2, 3))  

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5

3.14

8

3. Complex Numbers

Python natively supports complex numbers, which can be created by adding a 'j' or 'J' suffix to a number.

a = 3 + 4j  

print(a.real)  

print(a.imag)  

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3.0

4.0

2. Floating-Point Precision

Floating-point numbers in Python are based on the IEEE 754 double-precision standard, which can lead to precision issues.

a = 0.1 + 0.2

print(a)  

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0.30000000000000004

1. Integers Are of Arbitrary Precision

In Python, integers are of arbitrary precision, meaning they can grow as large as the memory allows. This is different from many other programming languages where integers have fixed sizes.

a = 10**100  

print(a)  

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10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000