title: Python 3 - recognizing minus signs in a text string
body: <p>I'm using Python 3.5 and import a text file  as follows
  with open(fn) as f:
      data = f.read()</p>
  
  <p>I then notice that there's a space between the minus sign and the digits of a negative number (e.g. \n\t- 2.51\t). I have tried to close the gap by writing
  data.replace('- ','-'), but nothing happens. Oddly enough, this works like a charm in a Python console, but not in code. How can I solve this problem? </p>
  
  <p>Is this a Unicode issue? Is it possible that the - I type on my keyboard is different from the - in the file? If so, how can I tell the two -'s apart?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance for your assistance</p>
  
  <p>Thomas Philips</p>