6 Differences between Python & C++
Python and C++ are both high-level, general-purpose programming languages that have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. Because they’re similar in some ways, understanding the key differences between Python and C++ can help you choose which one to use in your next project. If you want to learn more about these popular languages, take a look at the following list of key differences between Python and C++.
Philosophy
Python and C++ are both object-oriented programming languages. Python emphasizes code readability, where as C++ emphasizes efficiency. These differences show in their syntax, performance, development environment and application areas. Let’s take a look at these 6 differences between Python and C++.
Data Types
Both Python and C++ support a variety of data types. In both languages, variables must be explicitly declared with a type before they can be used. Both languages also have signed and unsigned integers that can be modified by adding or subtracting values from them. However, in Python, all integers are treated as signed integers; whereas in C++ some integers are treated as signed (int) while others are treated as unsigned (unsigned int). In addition to these two base integer types, both Python and C++ offer floating-point numbers, though they differ slightly in how they're implemented: While all floating-point numbers in C+ are defined using fixed decimal points (for example, 5.0), certain floating-point numbers in Python use variable decimal points that increase with their value.
Operators
The table below compares common operators in C++ and Python. * Unary plus and minus are unary in python but binary in c++. ** The exponentiation operator is left-associative rather than right-associative in python (**2 is 2**2, not 4). *** The modulus operator works differently when applied to floats or doubles (Python 2 vs 3) **** In python division returns a float even if both operands are integers, while c++ returns an integer unless you explicitly use a cast.
Built-in Functions
Languages like Python and JavaScript have built-in functions (built into their runtimes), so you don’t need to download any additional software or libraries. Whereas with C++, you’ll always need to make sure that you’re using a compiler (also known as an IDE) that includes all of its functions. That being said, it is also possible to extend C++ by creating new libraries for it. So if a function isn’t included in your IDE, there may be another way to achieve it by installing an external library or a package manager. If you want more information on how to do that, check out our guide on how to build a modern web application with CPP .
Faster Execution
Typically, when executing a Python script, you have to wait for the interpreter to interpret it. You cannot interact with your program until it finishes running. This isn’t true of compiled languages like C++, where your program runs in parallel with its execution (at least on an operating system that supports multi-threading). This means that your programs are generally faster if you code them in a compiled language than if you code them in an interpreted language like Python. However, depending on how large and complex your scripts are, and on what hardware they’re running on, there could be negligible differences in speed.
Easy For Beginners
Another benefit of python is that it’s simple to learn and read. Because its code resembles pseudocode, anyone with a high school-level understanding of programming can easily read and understand a piece of python code. (When was the last time you could say that about some C++?) This simplicity means you’ll spend less time deciphering lines of code and more time analyzing algorithms. It also makes it easier for newbies to contribute to open source projects—something most companies find valuable when building their software from scratch. For example, GitHub’s internal development team uses python because it doesn’t require developers with extensive knowledge of advanced computer science concepts.
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