python parse string to exact float

Question

Seen some other questions but none have answered this particular case

val = "0.000"
print val
0.000
f = float(val)
print f
0.0

How can I keep these as floats but force them to be the exact value of 0.000?

Isn't 0.0 same as 0.0000? Some other example would have been better — Bhargav Rao
– Bhargav Rao, Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 18:18
docs.python.org/2/library/decimal.html "The decimal module incorporates a notion of significant places" — Jasper
– Jasper, Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 18:21
@MartijnPieters if OP is doing for example physics stuff, there's a difference between 0.0 and 0.00 — Jasper
– Jasper, Commented Jan 24, 2015 at 18:23

NPE · Accepted Answer · 2015-01-24 18:19:50Z

4

The float values 0.0 and 0.000 are indistinguishable from one another: they are represented by exactly the same bit pattern.

You'd have to use a different data type -- such as a string or Decimal -- if you want to preserve the zeroes:

In [7]: from decimal import Decimal

In [8]: d1 = Decimal("0.0")

In [9]: d2 = Decimal("0.000")

In [10]: str(d1)
Out[10]: '0.0'

In [11]: str(d2)
Out[11]: '0.000'

answered Jan 24, 2015 at 18:19

NPE

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