Python Output Numbers: Display, Calculate and Format Numbers in Python

Numbers are an important part of almost every programming application. Whether you are developing a calculator, processing student marks, calculating business revenue, or analyzing network performance, your Python programs will frequently work with numerical values.

Python provides built-in functionality to display numbers, perform mathematical operations, combine calculations, and format numerical results.

The print() function can display integers, floating-point values, and the results of mathematical expressions.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to display numbers in Python, perform calculations, work with different numerical types, and format numerical output with practical examples.

1. Displaying Numbers Using the print() Function

Python allows you to display numerical values directly using the print() function.

Unlike text, numerical values do not need quotation marks.

Example 1: Display an Integer

print(100)

Output:

100

Here, 100 is an integer value.

Example 2: Display a Floating-Point Number

print(25.75)

Output:

25.75

The value 25.75 is a floating-point number because it contains a decimal component.

Example 3: Display Multiple Numbers

print(10, 20, 30, 40, 50)

Output:

10 20 30 40 50

Python displays the numbers with spaces between them by default.

2. Understanding Integer and Floating-Point Numbers

Python supports different numerical data types.

Two commonly used types are:

Integer (int):

Represents whole numbers without a fractional component.

Examples:

print(10)
print(250)
print(-75)

Output:

10
250
-75

Floating-Point (float):

Represents numbers that include a fractional component.

Examples:

print(10.5)
print(99.99)
print(-25.75)

Output:

10.5
99.99
-25.75

Checking the Data Type of a Number

Python provides the built-in type() function to identify the type of a value.

number1 = 100
number2 = 25.75

print(type(number1))
print(type(number2))

Output:

<class 'int'>
<class 'float'>

The first variable contains an integer, while the second contains a floating-point number.

3. Displaying Numbers Stored in Variables

In practical applications, numerical values are usually stored in variables before being processed.

Example

age = 25
salary = 35000
percentage = 87.5

print(age)
print(salary)
print(percentage)

Output:

25
35000
87.5

Python displays the values stored in the variables.

Example: Displaying Student Marks

student_name = "Rahul"
math_marks = 85
science_marks = 90
english_marks = 80

print("Student:", student_name)
print("Math Marks:", math_marks)
print("Science Marks:", science_marks)
print("English Marks:", english_marks)

Output:

Student: Rahul
Math Marks: 85
Science Marks: 90
English Marks: 80

This example combines text and numerical values in the same output.

4. Performing Mathematical Operations and Displaying Results

Python supports several arithmetic operators that can be used to perform calculations.

Let's understand these operations through examples.

Example 1: Addition

number1 = 100
number2 = 50

result = number1 + number2

print("Addition:", result)

Output:

Addition: 150

The + operator adds the two numbers.

Example 2: Subtraction

price = 500
discount = 100

final_price = price - discount

print("Final Price:", final_price)

Output:

Final Price: 400

The - operator subtracts the discount from the original price.

Example 3: Multiplication

quantity = 5
price_per_item = 200

total = quantity * price_per_item

print("Total Amount:", total)

Output:

Total Amount: 1000

The * operator multiplies the quantity by the price.

Example 4: Division

total_marks = 450
subjects = 5

average = total_marks / subjects

print("Average Marks:", average)

Output:

Average Marks: 90.0

The / operator performs division and returns a floating-point result.

Example 5: Floor Division

Floor division returns the quotient rounded down to the nearest integer for integer operands.

result = 17 // 5

print(result)

Output:

3

Because 17 divided by 5 is 3.4, floor division produces 3.

Example 6: Modulus

The modulus operator % returns the remainder after division.

result = 17 % 5

print(result)

Output:

2

When 17 is divided by 5, the remainder is 2.

Example 7: Exponentiation

The ** operator raises one number to the power of another.

result = 2 ** 4

print(result)

Output:

16

This represents:

2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16.

5. Displaying the Result of Multiple Calculations

Python can evaluate mathematical expressions directly inside the print() function.

Example

print(100 + 50)
print(100 - 50)
print(100 * 5)
print(100 / 4)

Output:

150
50
500
25.0

You do not need to assign each result to a separate variable if you only want to display the result.

However, using variables is generally better when the calculated values need to be reused.

6. Combining Text and Numbers in Output

Python provides different approaches to display text and numerical values together.

Method 1: Using Multiple Arguments

age = 25

print("My age is", age)

Output:

My age is 25

Python automatically separates the arguments with a space.

Method 2: Using str()

You can convert a number into a string using the str() function.

salary = 45000

print("Monthly Salary: " + str(salary))

Output:

Monthly Salary: 45000

Method 3: Using f-Strings

F-strings provide a convenient way to insert numerical values into text.

product = "Laptop"
price = 55000

print(f"The price of {product} is Rs. {price}")

Output:

The price of Laptop is Rs. 55000

For most modern Python applications, f-strings are an excellent choice for readable output formatting.

7. Formatting Decimal Numbers

Sometimes a program produces a floating-point result with many decimal places.

For example:

result = 10 / 3

print(result)

Output:

3.3333333333333335

Displaying all decimal places may not be necessary.

Python supports formatting to control the number of decimal places.

Example 1: Display Two Decimal Places

result = 10 / 3

print(f"{result:.2f}")

Output:

3.33

The formatting expression .2f displays the value with two digits after the decimal point.

Example 2: Display Three Decimal Places

result = 10 / 3

print(f"{result:.3f}")

Output:

3.333

Example 3: Display a Percentage

score = 0.875

print(f"Percentage: {score:.1%}")

Output:

Percentage: 87.5%

The % format type converts the value into a percentage representation by multiplying it by 100 and adding the percentage symbol.

8. Formatting Large Numbers With Separators

When displaying large numerical values, separators can improve readability.

Python's format specification supports thousands separators.

Example

revenue = 2500000

print(f"Revenue: {revenue:,}")

Output:

Revenue: 2,500,000

You can also combine separators with decimal formatting.

amount = 1256789.456

print(f"Amount: {amount:,.2f}")

Output:

Amount: 1,256,789.46

This is useful for financial reports, sales summaries, and business dashboards.

9. Taking Numerical Input From Users

Python allows users to enter numerical values through the input() function.

However, input() returns the entered information as a string.

You need to convert the value into an appropriate numerical type before performing arithmetic.

Example 1: Accept an Integer

age = int(input("Enter your age: "))

print("Your age is:", age)

Example interaction:

Enter your age: 25
Your age is: 25

The int() function converts the entered text into an integer.

Example 2: Accept a Floating-Point Number

price = float(input("Enter product price: "))

print("Product Price:", price)

Example interaction:

Enter product price: 125.50
Product Price: 125.5

The float() function converts the entered text into a floating-point number.

Example 3: Add Two Numbers Entered by a User

number1 = int(input("Enter first number: "))
number2 = int(input("Enter second number: "))

total = number1 + number2

print("Total:", total)

Example interaction:

Enter first number: 100
Enter second number: 250
Total: 350

This program accepts two numbers, adds them, and displays the result.

10. Practical Example: Calculate Student Percentage

Let's develop a simple program that calculates a student's total marks and percentage.

Assume the student has five subjects, each carrying a maximum of 100 marks.

student_name = "Rahul"

maths = 85
science = 90
english = 80
computer = 95
physics = 88

total = maths + science + english + computer + physics

maximum_marks = 500

percentage = (total / maximum_marks) * 100

print("STUDENT RESULT")
print("----------------------")

print(f"Student Name: {student_name}")
print(f"Total Marks: {total}")
print(f"Maximum Marks: {maximum_marks}")
print(f"Percentage: {percentage:.2f}%")

Output:

STUDENT RESULT
----------------------
Student Name: Rahul
Total Marks: 438
Maximum Marks: 500
Percentage: 87.60%

Understanding the Calculation

Step 1: Store subject marks

Each subject's marks are stored in a separate variable.

Step 2: Calculate total marks

The + operator adds all five subject scores.

Step 3: Define maximum marks

Each subject carries 100 marks, so the maximum possible score is 500.

Step 4: Calculate percentage

The formula is:

Percentage = (Total Marks / Maximum Marks) × 100

Step 5: Display the result

The f-string displays the student's information and formats the percentage to two decimal places.

This example demonstrates how Python numerical output can be used in a practical application.

11. Common Errors When Working With Numerical Output

Error 1: Adding a String and an Integer

Incorrect:

# number = 100
# print("Total: " + number)

This causes a TypeError because Python does not allow direct concatenation of a string and an integer.

Correct:

number = 100

print("Total:", number)

Alternatively:

print(f"Total: {number}")

Error 2: Dividing by Zero

Consider:

# result = 100 / 0
# print(result)

This raises a ZeroDivisionError.

A safer approach is:

number1 = 100
number2 = 0

if number2 != 0:
    print(number1 / number2)
else:
    print("Division by zero is not allowed.")

Output:

Division by zero is not allowed.

Error 3: Incorrect Numerical Input

Consider:

# age = int(input("Enter age: "))

If the user enters "twenty", Python raises a ValueError because the input cannot be converted into an integer.

A basic exception-handling approach is:

try:
    age = int(input("Enter age: "))
    print("Age:", age)

except ValueError:
    print("Please enter a valid whole number.")

This helps the program handle invalid numerical input without terminating with an unhandled exception.

12. Practice Exercises

Try the following exercises to strengthen your numerical programming skills.

Exercise 1: Display Numbers

Write a Python program to display the following numbers:

100
250
500
750
1000

Exercise 2: Addition Calculator

Create two variables, assign numerical values, calculate their sum, and display the result.

Exercise 3: Area of a Rectangle

Write a program that calculates the area of a rectangle.

Formula:

Area = Length × Width

Exercise 4: Average Marks

Create variables for five subject marks. Calculate and display the average.

Exercise 5: Percentage Calculator

Accept total marks and maximum marks from the user. Calculate and display the percentage with two decimal places.

Exercise 6: Product Billing

Create a program that accepts product price and quantity. Calculate the total amount and display the result with two decimal places.

Conclusion

Python makes numerical output and mathematical calculations straightforward through built-in functions, operators, and formatting options.

You have learned how to display integers and floating-point values, perform arithmetic operations, accept numerical input, combine text with numbers, and format decimal results.

These concepts are useful in a wide range of applications, including calculators, billing systems, student management applications, financial reports, and data analysis tools.

Continue practicing these examples to develop confidence in working with numerical values.

Next Tutorial: Explore Python Variables and Data Types to understand how Python stores, identifies, and processes different kinds of information.