Data Types

A data type describes what kind of value something is, and what you can do with it. The handful of types below cover almost everything you store early on:

• Number — 25, 3.14 — used for counting and math.
• String — "hello" — text, always inside quotes.
• Boolean — true / false — a yes/no value, used for decisions.

Real-world analogy: the type is like the kind of box you have — a box built for liquid works differently than one built for books, even though both are "boxes." Adding two numbers (2 + 3 = 5) is different from adding two strings ("2" + "3" = "23", joining the text) — same operator, different behavior, because the type is different.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up a number and a string that looks like a number ("25" is text, 25 is a number — they don't automatically behave the same way).