Python for Beginners - Part 1: Getting Started with Python Basics
Welcome to the first part of our Python coding course! Whether you're a complete beginner or looking for a refresher, this course will equip you with the foundational knowledge to start your programming journey with Python.
What is Python? Why Learn It?
Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming language. Created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991, Python's design philosophy emphasizes code readability with its notable use of significant indentation.
Why is Python so popular and why should you learn it?
Readability: Python's syntax is very clean and resembles plain English, making it easy to learn and understand.
Versatility: You can use Python for almost anything: web development (Django, Flask), data science and machine learning (NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow), automation, scientific computing, game development, and more!
Large Community & Libraries: Python has a massive and active community, meaning a wealth of resources, tutorials, and ready-to-use libraries (collections of pre-written code) are available.
Cross-Platform: Python code can run on various operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) without modification.
Setting Up Python (Briefly)
For your blog, we'll assume most readers might already have Python installed or can easily find guides for their specific OS. However, the most common way to get Python is to download it from the official Python website. It typically comes with pip (Python's package installer) and IDLE (an Integrated Development and Learning Environment). For writing code, a good text editor like VS Code is highly recommended.
Your First Python Code: "Hello, World!"
Tradition dictates that your first program in any language prints "Hello, World!". In Python, it's incredibly simple:
print("Hello, World!")
What's happening here?
print()is a built-in Python function that outputs the specified message to the console.The text inside the parentheses and quotes is called a string.
Variables and Data Types
Variables are like containers for storing data values. In Python, you don't need to declare the variable's type before using it; Python infers the type automatically.
# Declaring variables
name = "Alice"
age = 30
height = 5.9
is_student = True
print(name)
print(age)
print(height)
print(is_student)
Python has several built-in data types:
int(Integer): Whole numbers, positive or negative, without decimals.age = 30
float(Floating-point number): Numbers with a decimal point.height = 5.9
str(String): A sequence of characters, enclosed in single (') or double (") quotes.name = "Alice"
bool(Boolean): Represents one of two values:TrueorFalse. Used for logical operations.is_student = True
You can check the type of a variable using the type() function:
print(type(name)) # Output: <class 'str'>
print(type(age)) # Output: <class 'int'>
print(type(height)) # Output: <class 'float'>
print(type(is_student)) # Output: <class 'bool'>
Basic Arithmetic Operations
Python can perform standard mathematical operations:
| Operator | Description | Example | Result |
| Addition |
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| Subtraction |
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| Multiplication |
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| Division |
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| Modulus (remainder) |
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| Exponentiation |
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| Floor Division (returns integer part) |
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result_add = 15 + 7
result_sub = 20 - 8
result_mul = 6 * 4
result_div = 10 / 3 # Returns a float
result_mod = 10 % 3
result_pow = 2 ** 5
result_floor_div = 10 // 3
print(f"Addition: {result_add}")
print(f"Subtraction: {result_sub}")
print(f"Multiplication: {result_mul}")
print(f"Division: {result_div}")
print(f"Modulus: {result_mod}")
print(f"Power: {result_pow}")
print(f"Floor Division: {result_floor_div}")
Note: The f"" before a string is an f-string, a modern way to embed expressions inside string literals.
Getting User Input
The input() function allows your program to receive input from the user. The input is always read as a string, so you might need to convert it to another data type (like int or float) if you plan to perform numerical operations.
user_name = input("Enter your name: ")
print(f"Hello, {user_name}!")
# Getting a number and converting it
age_str = input("Enter your age: ")
age_int = int(age_str) # Convert string to integer
print(f"You will be {age_int + 1} years old next year!")
Summary of Part 1
In this first part, you've learned:
What Python is and why it's a great language to learn.
How to write your very first Python program.
The concepts of variables and fundamental data types (
int,float,str,bool).How to perform basic arithmetic operations.
How to get input from the user.
In Part 2, we'll dive into Control Flow, learning how to make decisions and repeat actions in your Python programs using if statements and loops! Stay tuned!
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