What are the general data types in Python, and how do they differ?

Python has several basic data types that differ in structure and purpose:

• Numbers (int, float, complex) — for storing integers, floating-point, and complex numbers.
• Strings (str) — sequences of characters, immutable.
• Boolean values (bool) — True or False, used for logical operations.
• Lists (list) — ordered mutable collections of elements of different types.
• Tuples (tuple) — ordered immutable collections.
• Sets (set, frozenset) — unordered collections of unique elements; frozenset is immutable.
• Dictionaries (dict) — collections of key-value pairs, where keys are unique.

The main differences are related to mutability (mutable/immutable), element order, and the ability to store unique values. For example, lists can be modified after creation, whereas tuples cannot. Sets do not maintain order, and dictionaries are associative arrays.