Type Conversion

Type Conversion

In this tutorial, we'll convert between strings, numbers, and booleans.

Type conversion means changing a value from one type to another.

This matters because Python treats different types differently:

print("5" + "5")
print(5 + 5)

Output:

55
10

The first line joins strings. The second line adds integers.

Converting to an Integer

Use int() to convert suitable text into a whole number:

age_text = "12"
age = int(age_text)

print(age + 1)

Output:

13

This only works if the string looks like an integer:

int("hello")  # error

Converting to a Float

Use float() for decimal numbers:

price_text = "4.99"
price = float(price_text)

print(price * 2)

Converting to a String

Use str() when you need text:

score = 95
message = "Score: " + str(score)

print(message)

In print(), commas are often simpler:

print("Score:", score)

Input Always Starts as Text

When you later use input(), the result is always a string:

age = input("Age: ")

If you want maths, convert it:

age = int(age)
print(age + 1)

Practice

Start with price_text = "12.50" and quantity_text = "3". Convert them, calculate the total, and print it.