TIS - Gibbon - Free Learning

Data Types

Time 1.3 hrs

Difficulty Module 2

Prerequisites Variables

Departments Career & Technology Studies

Authors Sandra Kuipers

Groupings Individual

Minimum Year Group None

Unit Overview
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Blurb

Data comes in many forms: numbers, letters, symbols, and more. This unit looks at primitive data types and how they make up the building blocks of all programming languages.

License

This work is shared under the following license: Creative Commons BY-SA-NC

Outline

Learner Outcomes Students will: ...
Competency Focus ...	Interdisciplinary Connections ...
Reflection What was successful? What needs changing? Alternative Assessments and Lesson Ideas? What other Differentiation Ideas/Plans could be used? ...
Credits Any CC attribution, thanks, credit, etc. ...

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10 mins

What is Data?

Getting Started

A computer stores information as data.
A bindary digit (bit) is the smallest form of data.
Binary can be used to store 1s and 0s.
All other types of data start with binary, and are converted into something more meaningful:

5 mins

Types of Data

Theory

The variables in our code can store many different types of data.
Chances are, you've already seen and used some data types in your code.
Some programming languages are loosely typed:

This means they don't require you to declare a type upfront.
For example, a var in JavaScript can hold any type of data.
We can also combine different types without creating an error.
In JavaScript, the code "Hello Cat" + 5; will create the string "Hello Cat5".

Some programming languages are strictly typed:

This means each variable must be declared with its data type.
For example, in C#, a string myVar; can only hold data that is a string.
Combining variables with different types generally creates an error.

The following are some of the most common types of data.

5 mins

Boolean

True and False

The boolean type has only two values: true and false.

This type is commonly used to store yes/no values: true means “yes, correct”, and false means “no, incorrect”.

For instance:
```
var thisThing = true;
var thatThing = false;
```
We’ll cover booleans more deeply in the unit on Logical operators.

It helps to remember booleans as a switch: they can only be on or off (true or false)

5 mins

Integer

Numbers

An integer is a type of number that does not have a decimal point.
A whole number, including negative numbers.
```
var x = 10;
var y = -36;
```
There are many operations we can do with numbers, such as multiplication *, division /, addition +, subtraction -, and so on.
```
var score = 42 + 500;
```

5 mins

Float

Numbers with Decimals

A float (or floating point number) is a type of number that has a decimal point.
```
var distance = 4.5;
var hours = 1.125;
```
To remember Floats vs Integers, I think of them floating on their decimal point like a life-preserver.

5 mins

String

Letters and Symbols

A string is any number of words, letters and symbols surrounded by quotes:
```
var question = "What day is it?";
var answer = "Monday";
```
Strings can use either 'single quotes' or "double quotes"
```
var answer1 = "Abolsutely";    
var answer2 = 'Not sure';     
var answer3 = "It's alright";  
```
It helps to think of them as a bunch of letters, connected on a string:

5 mins

Array

Lists

Often we need to store a list of things.

An array is a special variable, which can hold more than one value at a time.

var cars = ["Volvo", "BMW", "Tesla"];
var fibonacci = [0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13];

Spaces and line breaks are not important. A declaration can span multiple lines:
```
var fruit = [
  "Apple",
  "Pear",
  "Kiwi"
];
```
We’ll cover these more in the unit on Arrays.

More Data

Lots more

There's many more types of data.
The data types here are often called primitive types.
This is because they're the basic building-blocks of more complex data.
Other types of data, like objects, are made up of primitive types.

40 mins

Digital Scavenger Hunt

Evidence

Take a moment to consider how the above data types might exist in the world around you.
Your goal is to search for images to help visualize these different data types.

You may search the web for images.
You are also welcome to grab your phone and search the school.

The pictures in this unit are examples, please don't copy them :)

Open up your Google slides from the Computer Science unit.
Add one slide called Data:

Include a short definition, in your own words.
At least one link to a website or video that helps explain this concept.

Then, add one slide for each of the following data types:

Boolean
Integer
Float
String
Array

For each slide, add:

A short definition, in your own words.
An image to help illustrate this concept.

Once you have finished, submit the link to your slideshow as evidence of learning in this unit.

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