It has nothing about utility, it has to do with what are the possible range of values you're program should/needs to accept.
If it needs to accept both integers and floats as inputs, then you should convert to float since floats can represent the integers.
But if you're program requires that the input be specifically an integer, then you should be casting to int.
EDIT:
In your example, you should always be using float, since money has a decimal value.
If you were asking "How many bananas did you buy?" You'd want to convert to int since those values are going to be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, .... And then when you ask "How much did you pay for these bananas?" You'd want to convert to float since those inputs can range from 3.15, .77, 1, 1.00, ... etc.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › difference-between-integer-and-float-in-python
Difference Between Integer and Float in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Positive Integer: 42 Negative Integer: -17 Large Integer: 9876543210123456789012345678901234567890 Sum Result: 25 Product Result: 414814814825185185138518518513851851851380 · In Python, a float is a numeric data type representing decimal numbers. Floats are used when precision is required in mathematical calculations and when dealing with numbers that are not whole.
Top answer 1 of 4
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It has nothing about utility, it has to do with what are the possible range of values you're program should/needs to accept.
If it needs to accept both integers and floats as inputs, then you should convert to float since floats can represent the integers.
But if you're program requires that the input be specifically an integer, then you should be casting to int.
EDIT:
In your example, you should always be using float, since money has a decimal value.
If you were asking "How many bananas did you buy?" You'd want to convert to int since those values are going to be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, .... And then when you ask "How much did you pay for these bananas?" You'd want to convert to float since those inputs can range from 3.15, .77, 1, 1.00, ... etc.
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- So that you can work with numbers. You can't very well multiply
'3'by'2'in Python. - So that you can work with floating-point numbers. Some things in life can come in bits and pieces, like kilograms, seconds, or grade point averages.
- If your program needs to work with the numbers between consecutive integers, you should probably use
float. - If you use strings in your program, you may want them to be numbers, regardless of where the strings came from.
- You'll need to evaluate this on a case-by-case basis.
Why do we need to differentiate between float numbers and integers?
There are many reasons: It is faster for the computer to do math with integers than with floats. Floats accumulate errors, so if you don't need them, integers are more robust. For example 0.1+0.2 != 0.3. There are situations in which floats don't make sense but integers do. For example when accessing an item in a list, my_list[3] makes sense but my_list[3.57] does not. Every programming language (except JavaScript) also separates them. Many also have more than 1 type of int and float (for different sizes). More on reddit.com
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August 13, 2022Float and int function
float() and int() are mainly use to convert strings to numbers. They actually create a number from the strings. int() is also often use to create an integer number from a float number. A classic example is when you ask the user for a number. The input function always returns a string of character. To perform calculation you need a number (int or float). So you must create a number from that string. As in: string_number = input("Enter temperature in °F (integer): ") temp_far = int(string_number) temp_cel = (temp_far-32) * (5/9) # the result here is a float print("Temperature in celsius (float)", temp_cel) temp_cel_int = int(temp_cel) # creates an integer number from the float print("Temperature in Celsius (integer)", temp_cel_int) Using float on strings from math import radians angle_string = input("Enter a precise angle in degrees with decimal: ") angle_float = float(angle_string) radians_float = radians(angle_float) print("That angle in degrees is",radians_float,"in radians") More on reddit.com
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March 25, 2023Clarifying the float/int/complex special case - Typing - Discussions on Python.org
The type system has a special case where int is considered to be compatible with float, and in turn float is compatible with complex. This was added for pragmatic reasons in PEP 484. This behavior is currently specified in the typing spec as follows (Special types in annotations — typing ... More on discuss.python.org
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May 23, 2024How can an int and a float be equal?
Some more context than u/gatherinfer 's excellent answer: Python has 4 built-in numeric types: bool, int, float, complex. All 4 are considered to represent actual "numbers" and numerical operations between them will work including equality. If the numeric operation's output type is based on the input (such as addition) then Python will "upcast", i.e. it will take the type with the "most" information associated with it and have that as the output. The order of upcasting is what I gave above, so if you add a bool to a float you get a float, if you add an int to a complex you get a complex, etc. Edit: One exception to the way I've simplified it above is bool-bool arithmetic operations get upcast to ints (I never thought about it till just now but then it occurred to me True + True wouldn't work unless they returned an int). More on reddit.com
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March 30, 2022Videos
Floats and Integers | How To Python - YouTube
Python Integers vs Floats - Visually Explained
05:33
[Practice Problems] Python Integers vs Floats - Visually Explained ...
Integers vs Floats in Python | What's the Difference? - YouTube
Python Float vs Integer
01:00
Python Float vs Integer - YouTube
Processing
processing.org › examples › integersfloats.html
Integers Floats / Examples / Processing.org
*/ int a = 0; // Create a variable "a" of the datatype "int" float b = 0.0; // Create a variable "b" of the datatype "float" void setup() { size(640, 360); stroke(255); } void draw() { background(0); a = a + 1; b = b + 0.2; line(a, 0, a, height/2); ...
Snakify
snakify.org › integer and float numbers
Integer and float numbers - Learn Python 3 - Snakify
When we read an integer value, ... value can be written using a scientific notation. Eg., the distance from the Earth to the Sun is 1.496·1011, or 1.496e11 in Python....
Codenga
codenga.com › pages › guides › float_vs_integer
What Is The Difference Between Float and Integer? - Codenga
The topic of integers and floats interests us in the context of programming. Therefore, it is worth showing a few examples now. Here is a Python code snippet that demonstrates two variables, one of type integer and the other of type float. It is worth noting that in Python, you do not need ...
Tutorial Teacher
tutorialsteacher.com › python › python-number-type
Python Numbers: int, float, complex (With Examples)
... x = int('100') print(x) #output: 100 y = int('-10') print(y) #output: -10 z = int(5.5) print(z) #output: 5 n = int('100', 2) print(n) #output: 4 ... A number having 0b with eight digits in the combination of 0 and 1 represent the binary ...
W3Resource
w3resource.com › python-interview › explain-the-difference-between-the-int-and-float-data-types.php
Difference between the int and float data types in Python
August 12, 2023 - In Python, they are represented ... so once created, their value cannot be changed. ... Floating-point numbers represent real numbers and can have fractions....
Pythonhumanities
pythonhumanities.com › home › lesson 04: python integers and floats
Lesson 04: Python Integers and Floats - Python for Digital Humanities
January 4, 2021 - If your number has a decimal, Python will automatically consider it a float. If it does not, it will automatically consider it an integer. Examples of integer and float: an_int = 1 a_float = 1.1
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › why do we need to differentiate between float numbers and integers?
r/learnpython on Reddit: Why do we need to differentiate between float numbers and integers?
August 13, 2022 -
Hi all. Im a complete beginner learning the basics. Im curious as to why Python has two different types of numbers (3 including complex) : Floats and integers. Why cant we just use any number and if we do wanna use a decimal point, we just use a decimal point without having to indicate it as a float? What is the significance of differentiating the two? Thanks!
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There are many reasons: It is faster for the computer to do math with integers than with floats. Floats accumulate errors, so if you don't need them, integers are more robust. For example 0.1+0.2 != 0.3. There are situations in which floats don't make sense but integers do. For example when accessing an item in a list, my_list[3] makes sense but my_list[3.57] does not. Every programming language (except JavaScript) also separates them. Many also have more than 1 type of int and float (for different sizes).
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we just use a decimal point without having to indicate it as a float We can? print(type(1.5)) # There are at least 2 very good reasons to have separate types, though. The first is logical. Floating point math is inexact. For example: >>> (1 - 0.1) - 0.9 0.0 >>> (1 - 0.05 - 0.05) - 0.9 -1.1102230246251565e-16 As you can see, the more calculations with make with floating point arithmetic, the more likely it is we'll accumulate inaccuracies. This does not happen with integers, and we would certainly like to have the option of avoiding this problem whenever possible. It's not possible to eliminate this problem in rational numbers without giving a fractional number unlimited storage space, which is obviously undesirable in a variety of use cases. The second is practical. The algorithms for integer arithmetic are dramatically different. Integer arithmetic uses 2's complement, and floating point arithmetic uses the IEEE 754 standard for representing decimal numbers and performing computations on them. These different representations are what allows us to preserve precision in integers. Also, integer arithmetic is much faster than floating point arithmetic. When only integer arithmetic is needed over a large amount of data, computation will be significantly faster.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › float and int function
r/learnpython on Reddit: Float and int function
March 25, 2023 -
Hello, please can someone explain to me when to use the float and int functions?
I mean should I use float when I am strictly dealing with decimal numbers, or when I want to convert whole numbers to decimal numbers?
pythonlearner
Top answer 1 of 4
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float() and int() are mainly use to convert strings to numbers. They actually create a number from the strings. int() is also often use to create an integer number from a float number. A classic example is when you ask the user for a number. The input function always returns a string of character. To perform calculation you need a number (int or float). So you must create a number from that string. As in: string_number = input("Enter temperature in °F (integer): ") temp_far = int(string_number) temp_cel = (temp_far-32) * (5/9) # the result here is a float print("Temperature in celsius (float)", temp_cel) temp_cel_int = int(temp_cel) # creates an integer number from the float print("Temperature in Celsius (integer)", temp_cel_int) Using float on strings from math import radians angle_string = input("Enter a precise angle in degrees with decimal: ") angle_float = float(angle_string) radians_float = radians(angle_float) print("That angle in degrees is",radians_float,"in radians")
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For string conversion, use the one appropriate to the string you're trying to convert. If you care about exact equality, don't use floats. Use integers, or maybe the Decimal class. If you want to know if floats are equal ish, keep in mind that the ish is always there. Use something like math.isclose to make such checks. There is rarely (almost never?) any need to explicitly convert integers to floats (unless you're doing something with numpy or similar). Integers will be automatically treated as floats during division (NOTE: different in some other languages), multiplication, etc. If you want to convert a float to integer, you can do that via int(2.3), but keep in mind how it rounds. There are other rounding functions that may or may not be more helpful (math.ceil, math.floor, round).
Delft Stack
delftstack.com › home › howto › python › float vs int in python
Float vs Int in Python | Delft Stack
October 18, 2023 - In this last example, after taking a and b as input from the user and converting both of the values 2 and 3 to the int type, they are properly added and give proper desired results. Float data types in Python represent real numbers with a decimal or a fractional part.
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-difference-between-an-integer-type-variable-and-a-float-type-variable-in-Python
What is the difference between an integer type variable and a float type variable in Python? - Quora
An integer is a whole number that can be negative. Especially in Python, the representation is exact. Floating point numbers are numbers with a fractional part after the decimal point. Usually, these are just an approximation. For example, you can’t store 1/3 in decimal representation with ...
SwCarpentry
swcarpentry.github.io › python-novice-gapminder › 03-types-conversion.html
Plotting and Programming in Python: Data Types and Type Conversion
May 2, 2023 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ValueError Traceback (most recent call last) <ipython-input-5-df3b790bf0a2> in <module> ----> 1 print("string to float:", float("Hello world!")) ValueError: could not convert string to float: 'Hello world!' Given this information, what do you expect the following program to do? ... What do you expect this program to do? It would not be so unreasonable to expect the Python 3 int command to convert the string “3.4” to 3.4 and an additional type conversion to 3.
Medium
medium.com › @heyamit10 › python-integers-and-floats-a-detailed-guide-b080ee1587ad
Python Integers and Floats: A Detailed Guide | by Hey Amit | Medium
January 22, 2025 - Let me ask you this: Can you think of one scenario where you’d use an integer instead of a float? How about the number of apples in a basket? Perfect! Now, where might you need a float? Maybe the weight of those apples, right? That’s the distinction. ... What do you think Python will show?
Sololearn
sololearn.com › en › Discuss › 3057798 › difference-between-float-and-int
Difference between float and int | Sololearn: Learn to code for FREE!
July 9, 2022 - integers are numbers without a decimal point, whereas floats are numbers with a decimal point. An additional information : double is more precise than float , double can store 64 bits ( and float can store only 32 bits ) Double is for storing ...
Coding Confessions
blog.codingconfessions.com › p › how-python-compares-floats-and-ints
How Python Compares Floats and Ints: Why It Can Give Surprising Results
May 24, 2024 - When this function is called by the interpreter, the argument v is already known to be a double type, which is why they have an assert condition for that. And they are assigning the underlying double value to i. Next, they are checking if w is also a Python float object, in which case they can simply assign its underlying double value to j and compare them directly.
Codeguage
codeguage.com › v1 › courses › python › numbers-basics
Python Number Basics - int and float
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
Codecademy
codecademy.com › forum_questions › 507df833d018ac020000001b
Why doesn't this code work? Issue with floats vs integers? | Codecademy
Consider the list seq=[1,2,3,4,5], whose median is obviously 3. You’re doing len(seq)/2 (which is 5/2, which is 2), then you add 0.5 (resulting in 2.5), then you call int(), making it 2 again.
CodingNomads
codingnomads.com › python-float-python-integer
Python Float and Python Integer
You might call both 1 and 2.5 ... are: Integers: Whole numbers without a decimal point, such as 1 · Floating-Point Numbers: Decimal numbers, such as 1.23...
Python.org
discuss.python.org › typing
Clarifying the float/int/complex special case - Typing - Discussions on Python.org
May 23, 2024 - The type system has a special case where int is considered to be compatible with float, and in turn float is compatible with complex. This was added for pragmatic reasons in PEP 484. This behavior is currently specified in the typing spec as follows (Special types in annotations — typing documentation): Python’s numeric types complex, float and int are not subtypes of each other, but to support common use cases, the type system contains a straightforward shortcut: when an argument is annotate...