Input and Output in Python

When working with Python, we often need to get information from the user and display a result. Python makes this simple with two functions: input() for taking input and print() for showing output.

Taking Input with input()

The input() function allows the user to enter information while the program is running.

name = input("Enter your name: ")
print("Hello", name)

Output:

Enter your name: Vishnu
Hello Vishnu

By default, input() stores the entered value as a string.

Basic Syntax

variable = input("Enter something: ")

For example:

age = input("Enter your age: ")
print("Your age is", age)

Even though the user enters 21 ,Python treats it as a string.

Printing Output with print()

The print() function is used to display text, numbers, variables, or calculations on the screen.

print("Hello, World!")

Output:

Hello, World!

We can also print multiple values together:

name = "Vishnu"
age = 21
city = "Hyderabad"

print(name, age, city)

Output:

Vishnu 21 Hyderabad

Taking Multiple Inputs

We can take multiple values in one line using split().

name, city = input("Enter your name and city: ").split()

print("Name:", name)
print("City:", city)

Output:

Enter your name and city: Vishnu Hyderabad
Name: Vishnu
City: Hyderabad

The split() method separates the values entered by the user.

Taking Numbers as Input

Since input() returns a string, we need type casting when working with numbers.

For integers, use int():

age = int(input("Enter your age: "))
print("Your age is", age)

For decimal numbers, use float():

price = float(input("Enter the price: "))
print("Price:", price)

Common conversions include:

int()    → Integer
float()  → Decimal number
str()    → String

Simple Input and Output Example

Here is a small program using both functions:

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

print("Hello", name)
print("You are", age, "years old.")

Output:

Enter your name: Vishnu
Enter your age: 21
Hello Vishnu
You are 21 years old.

input() vs print()

In simple words, input() gets information, while print() shows information. These two functions are some of the first and most useful concepts to learn when starting Python.