? Python Math, Random & Date

⚡ Quick Overview

Python provides built-in modules to handle common tasks: math for mathematical operations and constants, random for generating randomness, and datetime for working with dates and times. Together, they are used in calculations, games, simulations, scheduling, logging, and more.

? Key Concepts

• math module → precise mathematical functions like square root, factorial, trigonometry, rounding, and constants like math.pi.
• random module → random numbers, random choices from sequences, shuffling, and sampling.
• datetime module → working with dates, times, time differences, and formatting.
• Always import the module before using it (e.g., import math, import random, import datetime).
• You can combine these modules, for example: random dates for simulations or games that depend on time-based events.

? Syntax and Theory

? Math Module Example

The math module provides functions for square roots, factorials, rounding, logs, and trigonometry.

import math

# Basic mathematical operations
print("Square root of 25:", math.sqrt(25))
print("Factorial of 5:", math.factorial(5))
print("Ceil of 4.3:", math.ceil(4.3))
print("Floor of 4.7:", math.floor(4.7))
print("Value of pi:", math.pi)

# Trigonometric functions
print("sin(pi/2):", math.sin(math.pi/2))
print("cos(0):", math.cos(0))
print("tan(pi/4):", math.tan(math.pi/4))

# Logarithmic functions
print("log(100, 10):", math.log(100, 10))  # log base 10
print("Natural log of 2.718:", math.log(math.e))

? Random Module Example

The random module is useful in games, simulations, sampling, and any situation where you need unpredictability.

import random

# Random float between 0.0 and 1.0
print("Random float:", random.random())

# Random integer between 1 and 10
print("Random integer:", random.randint(1, 10))

# Random choice from a list
fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']
print("Random fruit:", random.choice(fruits))

# Shuffle a list in-place
random.shuffle(fruits)
print("Shuffled fruits:", fruits)

# Random sample from a list
sample = random.sample(fruits, 2)
print("Random sample of 2 fruits:", sample)

? Date and Time Example

The datetime module lets you get the current time, create specific dates, find differences between dates, and format them.

import datetime

# Current date and time
now = datetime.datetime.now()
print("Current date and time:", now)

# Current date only
today = datetime.date.today()
print("Today's date:", today)

# Create a specific date
birthday = datetime.date(2000, 5, 17)
print("Birthday:", birthday)

# Date difference
delta = today - birthday
print("Days since birthday:", delta.days)

# Formatting dates
print("Formatted date:", today.strftime("%d-%m-%Y"))  # dd-mm-yyyy
print("Day of the week:", today.strftime("%A"))       # e.g., Tuesday

? Use Cases

• Building math-heavy applications like calculators, statistics tools, and scientific programs using math.
• Creating games (dice rolls, random enemies, card shuffling) using random.
• Simulating real-world processes where randomness is involved (Monte Carlo simulations).
• Tracking events, logs, deadlines, reminders, and age calculations with datetime.
• Combining random and datetime to generate random dates or timestamps for test data.

? Live Output & Explanation