Agunechemba Ekene

Hey awesome coder! 👋 Today, we’re going on a fun journey to learn how Python understands different kinds of numbers — whole numbers, decimal numbers, and special magical numbers called complex numbers.

🔢 Types of Numbers in Python

1. Integer (int)

These are simple whole numbers like 1, 5, or 100.

age = 8

2. Floating Point (float)

These are numbers with decimals like 0.1 or 3.14.

fraction = 0.1

3. Complex Numbers (complex)

These are special numbers made of two parts:

  • A real part (normal number)
  • An imaginary part (the magic part!)

Example:

complexNumber = 2 + 3j

🧙 Why the Letter J?

You might wonder, why do complex numbers use the letter j and not i or any other letter?

Great question! In Python (and many programming languages), j is used to show the imaginary part because:

  • In math, i is often used for imaginary numbers, but in electrical engineering, j is used instead (to avoid confusion with current).
  • Python follows this tradition and only understands j as the imaginary unit.

So, 4 + 8l is not a complex number because Python doesn’t know what l means! But 4 + 8j is perfect!

🎮 Try the “Number Explorer” Project!

Here’s a simple Python program that lets you type any number, and it tells you what type it is!

# Number Explorer - Understand your numbers!

user_input = input("Enter a number (try int, float, or complex like 2+3j): ")

try:
    number = int(user_input)
    number_type = "Integer (int)"
except ValueError:
    try:
        number = float(user_input)
        number_type = "Floating point (float)"
    except ValueError:
        try:
            number = complex(user_input)
            number_type = "Complex number (complex)"
        except ValueError:
            print("Oops! That's not a valid number.")
            exit()

print(f"\nYou entered a {number_type}: {number}")

if number_type == "Complex number (complex)":
    print(f"Real part: {number.real}")
    print(f"Imaginary part: {number.imag}")

print("\nThanks for exploring numbers with me!")

How it works:

  • You type a number (like 5, 3.14, or 2+3j).
  • The program figures out the type (int, float, or complex).
  • If complex, it shows the real and imaginary parts.

✍️ Practice Questions

  1. What are the three types of numbers we learned today?
  2. Write an example of a floating-point number.
  3. Why does Python use the letter j for imaginary numbers instead of i?
  4. Is 4 + 8l a complex number? Why or why not?
  5. What will this code print? type(7.5)
  6. If you type 3+4j into the Number Explorer, what will it show as the imaginary part?

That’s it for today! Try running the program, play with numbers, and become a Python number wizard! 🧙‍♂️✨

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