How to Calculate The Range of Primitive Data Types

How to Calculate The Range of Primitive Data Types

In Python, we can use the “sys” module to find the range of Primitive Data Types like int, float, and boolean. This will give us a clear idea of the sizes and ranges of these particular data types. In this article, we will explore how to calculate the range of primitive data types in Python.

Table of Content

How to calculate the range of Integer?

In programming, integers are frequently used to express quantities, counts, or identifiers without the need for decimal precision. Depending on the programming language and system architecture, they may be several different sizes.

Range for an integer?

We calculate the range based on the bit counts using the sys module.

  1. For 8-bit signed integers, it’s from -128 to 127.
  2. For 32-bit signed integers, again from -2^31 to 2^31 – 1, i.e. from -2147483648 to 2147483647.

Python cannot allow for this by default. However, when you need to work with external libraries (such as NumPy), you should mention the integers with fixed widths, such as np.int32.

Example :

import sys

#  Declaring 32-bit integers

bits = 32

int_min = -2 ** (bits - 1)

int_max = 2 ** (bits - 1) - 1

print(f"The 32-bit integer range: {int_min} to {int_max}")

#  Declaring  64-bit integers

bits = 64

int_min = -2 ** (bits - 1)

int_max = 2 ** (bits - 1) - 1

print(f"64-bit integer range: {int_min} to {int_max}")

Output:

output 1

Explanation: This code calculates the positive and negative range values of 32-bit and 64-bit integers, respectively. The signed n-bit integer_range can be evaluated as follows: Minimum value=-2^n-1; Maximum value=2^n-1.

How to calculate the range of Floating Point?

For most programming cases, floats are used mainly in cases where a decimal representation is required. In Python, floats are typically implemented as double-precision 64-bit floating-point numbers as per IEEE 754 standard.

Range for a float?

Thus, the float values would range approximately from -1.8e308 to 1.8e308. sys.float_info can be used to get a profound understanding of the range of values for distinct types of floats, and their precision too. 

Example:

import sys

# Float range

float_min = sys.float_info.min

float_max = sys.float_info.max

print(f"The range of float: {float_min} to {float_max}")

Output:

output 2

Explanation: The code utilizes the sys.float_info function to obtain the minimum and maximum values available for representing a Python float. sys.float_info.min refers to the smallest positive nonzero value that can be obtained, while sys.float_info.max gives the largest possible value for a float. 

How to calculate the range of boolean?

In programming, booleans are commonly used for conditional statements and comparisons, and booleans take only two values

Range for a boolean?

No, Boolean values do not have a range. They can only be True or False.

  1. True: means the condition is correct, and it is returns 1
  2. False: means the condition is incorrect, and it returns 0

Example:

# Boolean values

print(f"Boolean values: {False} and {True}")

Output:

output 3

Conclusion

The range of Python primitive data types can be determined by using the “sys” module where the integers range depends on the system size, and the float range can be accessed through the “sys.float_info”. But booleans don’t have the range they only have two values “True and false”. You may refer to our Python datatypes which will help you excel in your career.

FAQs

1. Do data types like string, list, and dict apply the concept of range?

The concept of a “range” doesn’t apply in the same way as for numeric types. These types are dynamic and can grow based on the data they hold.

2. Do boolean values have a range in Python?

No, boolean values don’t have any range they only have two values “True” and “False”.

3. What is the maximum float value in Python?

The maximum float value can be found using “sys.float_info.max”.

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