:mod:`!numbers` --- Numeric abstract base classes
.. module:: numbers :synopsis: Numeric abstract base classes (Complex, Real, Integral, etc.).
Source code: :source:`Lib/numbers.py`
The :mod:`!numbers` module (PEP 3141) defines a hierarchy of numeric :term:`abstract base classes <abstract base class>` which progressively define more operations. None of the types defined in this module are intended to be instantiated.
The root of the numeric hierarchy. If you just want to check if an argument
x is a number, without caring what kind, use isinstance(x, Number).
Subclasses of this type describe complex numbers and include the operations
that work on the built-in :class:`complex` type. These are: conversions to
:class:`complex` and :class:`bool`, :attr:`.real`, :attr:`.imag`, +,
-, *, /, **, :func:`abs`, :meth:`conjugate`, ==, and
!=. All except - and != are abstract.
.. attribute:: real Abstract. Retrieves the real component of this number.
.. attribute:: imag Abstract. Retrieves the imaginary component of this number.
.. method:: conjugate() :abstractmethod: Abstract. Returns the complex conjugate. For example, ``(1+3j).conjugate() == (1-3j)``.
To :class:`Complex`, :class:`!Real` adds the operations that work on real numbers.
In short, those are: a conversion to :class:`float`, :func:`math.trunc`,
:func:`round`, :func:`math.floor`, :func:`math.ceil`, :func:`divmod`, //,
%, <, <=, >, and >=.
Real also provides defaults for :func:`complex`, :attr:`~Complex.real`, :attr:`~Complex.imag`, and :meth:`~Complex.conjugate`.
Subtypes :class:`Real` and adds :attr:`~Rational.numerator` and :attr:`~Rational.denominator` properties. It also provides a default for :func:`float`.
The :attr:`~Rational.numerator` and :attr:`~Rational.denominator` values should be instances of :class:`Integral` and should be in lowest terms with :attr:`~Rational.denominator` positive.
.. attribute:: numerator Abstract. The numerator of this rational number.
.. attribute:: denominator Abstract. The denominator of this rational number.
Subtypes :class:`Rational` and adds a conversion to :class:`int`. Provides
defaults for :func:`float`, :attr:`~Rational.numerator`, and
:attr:`~Rational.denominator`. Adds abstract methods for :func:`pow` with
modulus and bit-string operations: <<, >>, &, ^, |,
~.
Implementers should be careful to make equal numbers equal and hash them to the same values. This may be subtle if there are two different extensions of the real numbers. For example, :class:`fractions.Fraction` implements :func:`hash` as follows:
def __hash__(self):
if self.denominator == 1:
# Get integers right.
return hash(self.numerator)
# Expensive check, but definitely correct.
if self == float(self):
return hash(float(self))
else:
# Use tuple's hash to avoid a high collision rate on
# simple fractions.
return hash((self.numerator, self.denominator))
There are, of course, more possible ABCs for numbers, and this would
be a poor hierarchy if it precluded the possibility of adding
those. You can add MyFoo between :class:`Complex` and
:class:`Real` with:
class MyFoo(Complex): ... MyFoo.register(Real)
We want to implement the arithmetic operations so that mixed-mode operations either call an implementation whose author knew about the types of both arguments, or convert both to the nearest built in type and do the operation there. For subtypes of :class:`Integral`, this means that :meth:`~object.__add__` and :meth:`~object.__radd__` should be defined as:
class MyIntegral(Integral):
def __add__(self, other):
if isinstance(other, MyIntegral):
return do_my_adding_stuff(self, other)
elif isinstance(other, OtherTypeIKnowAbout):
return do_my_other_adding_stuff(self, other)
else:
return NotImplemented
def __radd__(self, other):
if isinstance(other, MyIntegral):
return do_my_adding_stuff(other, self)
elif isinstance(other, OtherTypeIKnowAbout):
return do_my_other_adding_stuff(other, self)
elif isinstance(other, Integral):
return int(other) + int(self)
elif isinstance(other, Real):
return float(other) + float(self)
elif isinstance(other, Complex):
return complex(other) + complex(self)
else:
return NotImplemented
There are 5 different cases for a mixed-type operation on subclasses
of :class:`Complex`. I'll refer to all of the above code that doesn't
refer to MyIntegral and OtherTypeIKnowAbout as
"boilerplate". a will be an instance of A, which is a subtype
of :class:`Complex` (a : A <: Complex), and b : B <:
Complex. I'll consider a + b:
- If
Adefines an :meth:`~object.__add__` which acceptsb, all is well. - If
Afalls back to the boilerplate code, and it were to return a value from :meth:`~object.__add__`, we'd miss the possibility thatBdefines a more intelligent :meth:`~object.__radd__`, so the boilerplate should return :data:`NotImplemented` from :meth:`!__add__`. (OrAmay not implement :meth:`!__add__` at all.) - Then
B's :meth:`~object.__radd__` gets a chance. If it acceptsa, all is well. - If it falls back to the boilerplate, there are no more possible methods to try, so this is where the default implementation should live.
- If
B <: A, Python triesB.__radd__beforeA.__add__. This is ok, because it was implemented with knowledge ofA, so it can handle those instances before delegating to :class:`Complex`.
If A <: Complex and B <: Real without sharing any other knowledge,
then the appropriate shared operation is the one involving the built
in :class:`complex`, and both :meth:`~object.__radd__` s land there, so a+b
== b+a.
Because most of the operations on any given type will be very similar, it can be useful to define a helper function which generates the forward and reverse instances of any given operator. For example, :class:`fractions.Fraction` uses:
def _operator_fallbacks(monomorphic_operator, fallback_operator):
def forward(a, b):
if isinstance(b, (int, Fraction)):
return monomorphic_operator(a, b)
elif isinstance(b, float):
return fallback_operator(float(a), b)
elif isinstance(b, complex):
return fallback_operator(complex(a), b)
else:
return NotImplemented
forward.__name__ = '__' + fallback_operator.__name__ + '__'
forward.__doc__ = monomorphic_operator.__doc__
def reverse(b, a):
if isinstance(a, Rational):
# Includes ints.
return monomorphic_operator(a, b)
elif isinstance(a, Real):
return fallback_operator(float(a), float(b))
elif isinstance(a, Complex):
return fallback_operator(complex(a), complex(b))
else:
return NotImplemented
reverse.__name__ = '__r' + fallback_operator.__name__ + '__'
reverse.__doc__ = monomorphic_operator.__doc__
return forward, reverse
def _add(a, b):
"""a + b"""
return Fraction(a.numerator * b.denominator +
b.numerator * a.denominator,
a.denominator * b.denominator)
__add__, __radd__ = _operator_fallbacks(_add, operator.add)
# ...