In Python, you can specify a type for a variable using casting, which involves converting a value from one type to another. Python, being an object-oriented language, uses classes to define data types, including its primitive types. Casting is performed using constructor functions like int(), float(), and str().
Casting to Integer
The int() function converts a value to an integer. This can be done from an integer literal, a float literal (by removing all decimals), or a string literal (provided the string represents a whole number).
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Casting to Float
The float() function converts a value to a float. This can be done from an integer literal, a float literal, or a string literal (provided the string represents a float or an integer).
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Casting to String
The str() function converts a value to a string. This can be done from strings, integer literals, float literals, and many other data types.
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Practical Use Cases
When reading input from a user, it is often read as a string. You might need to convert it to another type for further processing.
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user_input = input("Enter a number: ") |
When dealing with numbers in string format, you need to convert them to the appropriate numeric type before performing calculations.
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When you need to format numbers as strings for output purposes, you can use str().
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