Beginning Python®: Using Python 2.6 and Python 3.1

Chapter 3. Variables — Names for Values

In the previous two chapters, you learned how Python views strings, integers, floats, and imaginary numbers and how they can be created and displayed. This chapter presents more examples that demonstrate how these data types can be used.

In this chapter you learn:

• To use names to store the types you already know as well as other basic types to which you will be introduced.

• How to work with different types of objects that you haven't learned about yet. Variables and new, different types — specifically, you will become better acquainted with lists, tuples, and dictionaries.

• What a reference is and have some experience in using references.

• To get the most out of this chapter, you should type the examples yourself and alter them to see what happens.

Referring to Data — Using Names for Data

It's difficult to always write strings and numbers explicitly throughout a program because it forces you to remember everything. The exacting memory that computers have enable them to remember far more details than people can, and taking advantage of that capability is a huge part of programming. However, to make using data more flexible and easy, you want to give the data names that can be used to refer to them.

Try It Out: Assigning Values to Names

These names are commonly called variables, which indicates that the data to which they refer can vary (it can be changed), while the name remains the same. You'll see them referred to as names as well, because that is what ...