# Variables and Data Types

## What is a variable?

The variable is like a container that holds data. Very similar to how our containers in the kitchen hold sugar, salt etc Creating a variable is like creating a placeholder in memory and assigning it some value. In Python its as easy as writing:

a = 1

b = True

c = "Harry"

d = None

These are four variables of different data types.

## What is a Data Type?

Data type specifies the type of value a variable holds. This is required in programming to do various operations without causing an error.  
In python, we can print the type of any operator using type function:

a = 1

print(type(a))

b = "1"

print(type(b))

By default, python provides the following built-in data types:

## 1\. Numeric data: int, float, complex

* int: 3, -8, 0
    
* float: 7.349, -9.0, 0.0000001
    
* complex: 6 + 2i
    

## 2\. Text data: str

str: "Hello World!!!", "Python Programming"

## 3\. Boolean data:

Boolean data consists of values True or False.

## 4\. Sequenced data: list, tuple

**list:** A list is an ordered collection of data with elements separated by a comma and enclosed within square brackets. Lists are mutable and can be modified after creation.

**Example:**

```plaintext
list1 = [8, 2.3, [-4, 5], ["apple", "banana"]]print(list1)
```

Output:

```plaintext
[8, 2.3, [-4, 5], ['apple', 'banana']]
```

**Tuple:** A tuple is an ordered collection of data with elements separated by a comma and enclosed within parentheses. Tuples are immutable and can not be modified after creation.

**Example:**

```plaintext
tuple1 = (("parrot", "sparrow"), ("Lion", "Tiger"))print(tuple1)
```

Output:

```plaintext
(('parrot', 'sparrow'), ('Lion', 'Tiger'))
```

## 5\. Mapped data: dict

**dict:** A dictionary is an unordered collection of data containing a key:value pair. The key:value pairs are enclosed within curly brackets.

**Example:**

```plaintext
dict1 = {"name":"Sakshi", "age":20, "canVote":True}print(dict1)
```

Output:

```plaintext
{'name': 'Sakshi', 'age': 20, 'canVote': True}
```