Python Essentials 1:

Module 1
Introduction to Python and computer programming

In this module, you will learn about:

 the fundamentals of computer programming, i.e., how the computer works, how the
program is executed, how the programming language is defined and constructed;
 the difference between compilation and interpretation;
 what Python is, how it is positioned among other programming languages, and what
distinguishes the different versions of Python.

How does a computer program work?

This course aims to show you what the Python language is and what it is used for. Let's start
from the absolute basics.

A program makes a computer usable. Without a program, a computer, even the most
powerful one, is nothing more than an object. Similarly, without a player, a piano is nothing
more than a wooden box.

Computers are able to

perform very complex tasks,
but this ability is not innate. A
computer's nature is quite
different.

It can execute only extremely

simple operations. For
example, a computer cannot
understand the value of a
complicated mathematical
function by itself, although this
isn't beyond the realms of
possibility in the near future.

Contemporary computers can only evaluate the results of very fundamental operations, like
adding or dividing, but they can do it very fast, and can repeat these actions virtually any
number of times.

Imagine that you want to know the average speed you've reached during a long journey.
You know the distance, you know the time, you need the speed.

Naturally, the computer will be able to compute this, but the computer is not aware of such
things as distance, speed, or time. Therefore, it is necessary to instruct the computer to:

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  accept a number representing the distance;
 accept a number representing the travel time;
 divide the former value by the latter and store the result in the memory;
 display the result (representing the average speed) in a readable format.

These four simple actions form a program. Of course, these examples are not formalized,
and they are very far from what the computer can understand, but they are good enough to
be translated into a language the computer can accept.

Language is the keyword.

Natural languages vs. programming languages

A language is a means (and a tool) for expressing and recording thoughts. There are many
languages all around us. Some of them require neither speaking nor writing, such as body
language; it's possible to express your deepest feelings very precisely without saying a word.

Another language you use each day is your mother tongue, which you use to manifest your
will and to ponder reality. Computers have their own language, too,
called machine language, which is very rudimentary.

A computer, even the most technically sophisticated, is devoid of even a trace of

intelligence. You could say that it is like a well-trained dog - it responds only to a
predetermined set of known commands.

The commands it recognizes are very simple. We can imagine that the computer responds
to orders like "take that number, divide by another and save the result".

A complete set of known commands is called an instruction list, sometimes abbreviated

to IL. Different types of computers may vary depending on the size of their ILs, and the
instructions could be completely different in different models.

Note: machine languages are developed by humans.

No computer is currently capable of creating a new language. However, that may change
soon. Just as people use a number of very different languages, machines have many
different languages, too. The difference, though, is that human languages developed
naturally.

Moreover, they are still evolving, and new words are created every day as old words
disappear. These languages are called natural languages.

What makes a language?

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We can say that each language (machine or natural, it doesn't matter) consists of the
following elements:

 an alphabet: a set of symbols used to build words of a certain language (e.g., the
Latin alphabet for English, the Cyrillic alphabet for Russian, Kanji for Japanese, and so
on)
 a lexis: (aka a dictionary) a set of words the language offers its users (e.g., the word
"computer" comes from the English language dictionary, while "cmoptrue" doesn't;
the word "chat" is present both in English and French dictionaries, but their
meanings are different)
 a syntax: a set of rules (formal or informal, written or felt intuitively) used to
determine if a certain string of words forms a valid sentence (e.g., "I am a python" is
a syntactically correct phrase, while "I a python am" isn't)
 semantics: a set of rules determining if a certain phrase makes sense (e.g., "I ate a
doughnut" makes sense, but "A doughnut ate me" doesn't)

The IL is, in fact, the alphabet of a machine language. This is the simplest and most
primary set of symbols we can use to give commands to a computer. It's the computer's
mother tongue.

Unfortunately, this mother tongue is a far cry from a human mother tongue. We both
( computers and humans) need something else, a common language for computers and
humans, or a bridge between the two different worlds.

We need a language in which humans can write their programs and a language that
computers may use to execute the programs, one that is far more complex than machine
language and yet far simpler than natural language.

Such languages are often called high-level programming languages. They are at least
somewhat similar to natural ones in that they use symbols, words and conventions readable
to humans. These languages enable humans to express commands to computers that are
much more complex than those offered by ILs.

A program written in a high-level programming language is called a source code (in contrast

to the machine code executed by computers). Similarly, the file containing the source code
is called the source file.

Compilation vs. interpretation

Computer programming is the act of composing the selected programming language's
elements in the order that will cause the desired effect. The effect could be different in
every specific case – it's up to the programmer's imagination, knowledge and experience.

Of course, such a composition has to be correct in many senses:

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  alphabetically – a program needs to be written in a recognizable script, such as
Roman, Cyrillic, etc.
 lexically – each programming language has its dictionary and you need to master it;
thankfully, it's much simpler and smaller than the dictionary of any natural language;
 syntactically – each language has its rules and they must be obeyed;
 semantically – the program has to make sense.

Unfortunately, a programmer can also make mistakes with each of the above four senses.
Each of them can cause the program to become completely useless.

Let's assume that you've successfully written a program. How do we persuade the computer
to execute it? You have to render your program into machine language. Luckily, the
translation can be done by a computer itself, making the whole process fast and efficient.

There are two different ways of transforming a program from a high-level programming
language into machine language:

COMPILATION - the source program is translated once (however, this act must be repeated
each time you modify the source code) by getting a file (e.g., an .exe file if the code is
intended to be run under MS Windows) containing the machine code; now you can
distribute the file worldwide; the program that performs this translation is called a compiler
or translator;

INTERPRETATION - you (or any user of the code) can translate the source program each
time it has to be run; the program performing this kind of transformation is called an
interpreter, as it interprets the code every time it is intended to be executed; it also means
that you cannot just distribute the source code as-is, because the end-user also needs the
interpreter to execute it.

Due to some very fundamental reasons, a particular high-level programming language is

designed to fall into one of these two categories.

There are very few languages that can be both compiled and interpreted. Usually, a
programming language is projected with this factor in its constructors' minds - will it be
compiled or interpreted?

What does the interpreter actually do?

Let's assume once more that you have written a program. Now, it exists as a computer file:
a computer program is actually a piece of text, so the source code is usually placed in text
files.

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Note: it has to be pure text, without any decorations like different fonts, colors, embedded
images or other media. Now you have to invoke the interpreter and let it read your source
file.

The interpreter reads the source code in a way that is common in Western culture: from top
to bottom and from left to right. There are some exceptions - they'll be covered later in the
course.

First of all, the interpreter checks if all subsequent lines are correct (using the four aspects
covered earlier).

If the compiler finds an error, it finishes its work immediately. The only result in this case is
an error message.

The interpreter will inform you where the error is located and what caused it. However,
these messages may be misleading, as the interpreter isn't able to follow your exact
intentions, and may detect errors at some distance from their real causes.

For example, if you try to use an entity of an unknown name, it will cause an error, but the
error will be discovered in the place where it tries to use the entity, not where the new
entity's name was introduced.

In other words, the actual reason is usually located a little earlier in the code, for example, in
the place where you had to inform the interpreter that you were going to use the entity of
the name.

If the line looks good, the interpreter tries to execute it (note: each line is usually executed
separately, so the trio "read-check-execute" can be repeated many times - more times than

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the actual number of lines in the source file, as some parts of the code may be executed
more than once).

It is also possible that a significant part of the code may be executed successfully before the
interpreter finds an error. This is normal behavior in this execution model.

You may ask now: which is better? The "compiling" model or the "interpreting" model? There
is no obvious answer. If there had been, one of these models would have ceased to exist a
long time ago. Both of them have their advantages and their disadvantages.

Compilation vs. interpretation - advantages and

disadvantages

COMPILATION INTERPRETATION
 the execution of the
translated code is usually  you can run the code as soon as you
faster; complete it - there are no additional
 only the user has to have the phases of translation;
compiler - the end-user may  the code is stored using
use the code without it; programming language, not machine
ADVANTAGES
 the translated code is stored language - this means that it can be
using machine language - as run on computers using different
it is very hard to understand machine languages; you don't
it, your own inventions and compile your code separately for
programming tricks are each different architecture.
likely to remain your secret.
 the compilation itself may be
a very time-consuming
 don't expect interpretation to ramp
process - you may not be
up your code to high speed - your
able to run your code
code will share the computer's power
immediately after making an
DISADVANTAGES with the interpreter, so it can't be
amendment;
really fast;
 you have to have as many
 both you and the end user have to
compilers as hardware
have the interpreter to run your code.
platforms you want your
code to be run on.

What does this all mean for you?

 Python is an interpreted language. This means that it inherits all the described advantages and
disadvantages. Of course, it adds some of its unique features to both sets.
 If you want to program in Python, you'll need the Python interpreter. You won't be able to run
your code without it. Fortunately, Python is free. This is one of its most important advantages.

Due to historical reasons, languages designed to be utilized in the interpretation manner are often
called scripting languages, while the source programs encoded using them are called scripts.

What is Python?

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Python is a widely-used, interpreted, object-oriented, and high-level programming language
with dynamic semantics, used for general-purpose programming.

And while you may know the python as a large snake, the name of the Python programming
language comes from an old BBC television comedy sketch series called Monty Python's
Flying Circus.

At the height of its success, the Monty Python team were performing their sketches to live
audiences across the world, including at the Hollywood Bowl.

Since Monty Python is considered one of the two fundamental nutrients to a programmer
(the other being pizza), Python's creator named the language in honor of the TV show.

Who created Python?

One of the amazing features of Python is the fact that it is actually one person's work.
Usually, new programming languages are developed and published by large companies
employing lots of professionals, and due to copyright rules, it is very hard to name any of
the people involved in the project. Python is an exception.

There are not many languages whose authors are known by name. Python was created
by Guido van Rossum, born in 1956 in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Of course, Guido van
Rossum did not develop and evolve all the Python components himself.

The speed with which Python has spread around the world is a result of the continuous
work of thousands (very often anonymous) programmers, testers, users (many of them
aren't IT specialists) and enthusiasts, but it must be said that the very first idea (the seed
from which Python sprouted) came to one head - Guido's.

A hobby programming project

The circumstances in which Python was created are a bit puzzling. According to Guido van
Rossum:

In December 1989, I was looking for a "hobby" programming project that would keep me
occupied during the week around Christmas. My office (...) would be closed, but I had a
home computer, and not much else on my hands. I decided to write an interpreter for the
new scripting language I had been thinking about lately: a descendant of ABC that would
appeal to Unix/C hackers. I chose Python as a working title for the project, being in a slightly
irreverent mood (and a big fan of Monty Python's Flying Circus).Guido van Rossum

Python goals
In 1999, Guido van Rossum defined his goals for Python:

 an easy and intuitive language just as powerful as those of the major competitors;

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  open source, so anyone can contribute to its development;
 code that is as understandable as plain English;
 suitable for everyday tasks, allowing for short development times.

About 20 years later, it is clear that all these intentions have been fulfilled. Some sources say
that Python is the most popular programming language in the world, while others claim it's
the second or the third.

Either way, it still occupies a high rank in the top ten of the PYPL PopularitY of Programming
Language and the TIOBE Programming Community Index.

Python isn't a young language anymore. It is mature and trustworthy. It's not a one-hit
wonder. It's a bright star in the programming firmament, and time spent learning Python is
a very good investment.

What makes Python special?

How does it happen that programmers, young and old, experienced and novice, want to use
it? How did it happen that large companies adopted Python and implemented their flagship
products using it?

There are many reasons – we've listed some of them already, but let's enumerate them
again in a more practical manner:

 it's easy to learn – the time needed to learn Python is shorter than for many other
languages; this means that it's possible to start the actual programming faster;
 it's easy to teach – the teaching workload is smaller than that needed by other
languages; this means that the teacher can put more emphasis on general
(language-independent) programming techniques, not wasting energy on exotic
tricks, strange exceptions and incomprehensible rules;
 it's easy to use for writing new software – it's often possible to write code faster
when using Python;
 it's easy to understand - it's also often easier to understand someone else's code
faster if it is written in Python;
 it's easy to obtain, install and deploy – Python is free, open and multiplatform; not
all languages can boast that.

Of course, Python has its drawbacks, too:

 it's not a speed demon – Python does not deliver exceptional performance;
 in some cases it may be resistant to some simpler testing techniques – this may
mean that debugging Python code can be more difficult than with other languages;
fortunately, making mistakes is also harder in Python.

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It should also be stated that Python is not the only solution of its kind available on the IT
market.

It has lots of followers, but there are many who prefer other languages and don't even
consider Python for their projects.

Python rivals?
Python has two direct competitors, with comparable properties and predispositions. These
are:

 Perl – a scripting language originally authored by Larry Wall;

 Ruby – a scripting language originally authored by Yukihiro Matsumoto.

The former is more traditional and more conservative than Python, and resembles some of
the old languages derived from the classic C programming language.

In contrast, the latter is more innovative and more full of fresh ideas than Python. Python
itself lies somewhere between these two creations.

The Internet is full of forums with infinite discussions on the superiority of one of these
three over the others, should you wish to learn more about each of them.

Where can we see Python in action?

We see it every day and almost everywhere. It's used extensively to implement
complex Internet services like search engines, cloud storage and tools, social media and so
on. Whenever you use any of these services, you are actually very close to Python, although
you wouldn't know it.

Many developing tools are implemented in Python. More and more everyday-use

applications are being written in Python. Lots of scientists have abandoned expensive
proprietary tools and switched to Python. Lots of IT project testers have started using
Python to carry out repeatable test procedures. The list is long.

Why not Python?

Despite Python's growing popularity, there are still some niches where Python is absent, or
is rarely seen:

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  low-level programming (sometimes called "close to metal" programming): if you
want to implement an extremely effective driver or graphical engine, you wouldn't
use Python;
 applications for mobile devices: although this territory is still waiting to be
conquered by Python, it will most likely happen someday.

There is more than one Python

There are two main kinds of Python, called Python 2 and Python 3.

Python 2 is an older version of the original Python. Its development has since been
intentionally stalled, although that doesn't mean that there are no updates to it. On the
contrary, the updates are issued on a regular basis, but they are not intended to modify the
language in any significant way. They rather fix any freshly discovered bugs and security
holes. Python 2's development path has reached a dead end already, but Python 2 itself is
still very much alive.

Python 3 is the newer (or to be more precise, the current) version of the language. It's
going through its own evolutionary path, creating its own standards and habits.

These two versions of Python aren't compatible with each other. Python 2 scripts won't run
in a Python 3 environment and vice versa, so if you want the old Python 2 code to be run by
a Python 3 interpreter, the only possible solution is to rewrite it, not from scratch, of course,
as large parts of the code may remain untouched, but you do have to revise all the code to
find all possible incompatibilities. Unfortunately, this process cannot be fully automatized.

It's too hard, too time-consuming, too expensive, and too risky to migrate an old Python 2
application to a new platform, and it's even possible that rewriting the code will introduce
new bugs into it. It's easier, and more sensible, to leave these systems alone and to improve
the existing interpreter, instead of trying to work inside the already functioning source code.

Python 3 isn't just a better version of Python 2 – it is a completely different language,

although it's very similar to its predecessor. When you look at them from a distance, they
appear to be the same, but when you look closely, though, you notice a lot of differences.

If you're modifying an old existing Python solution, then it's highly likely that it was coded in
Python 2. This is the reason why Python 2 is still in use. There are too many existing Python
2 applications to discard it altogether.

NOTE

If you're going to start a new Python project, you should use Python 3, and this is the
version of Python that will be used during this course.

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It is important to remember that there may be smaller or bigger differences between
subsequent Python 3 releases (e.g., Python 3.6 introduced ordered dictionary keys by
default under the CPython implementation) – the good news, though, is that all the newer
versions of Python 3 are backward compatible with the previous versions of Python 3.
Whenever meaningful and important, we will always try to highlight those differences in the
course.

All the code samples you will find during the course have been tested against Python 3.4,
Python 3.6, Python 3.7, and Python 3.8.

Python aka CPython

In addition to Python 2 and Python 3, there is more than one version of each.

First of
all, there are the Pythons which are maintained by the people gathered around the PSF
(Python Software Foundation), a community that aims to develop, improve, expand, and
popularize Python and its environment. The PSF's president is Guido von Rossum himself,
and for this reason, these Pythons are called canonical. They are also considered to
be reference Pythons, as any other implementation of the language should follow all
standards established by the PSF.

Guido van Rossum used the "C" programming language to implement the very first version
of his language and this decision is still in force. All Pythons coming from the PSF are written
in the "C" language. There are many reasons for this approach. One of them (probably the
most important) is that thanks to it, Python may be easily ported and migrated to all
platforms with the ability to compile and run "C" language programs (virtually all platforms
have this feature, which opens up many expansion opportunities for Python).

This is why the PSF implementation is often referred to as CPython. This is the most
influential Python among all the Pythons in the world.

Cython

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Another Python family member is Cython.

Cython
is one of a possible number of solutions to the most painful of Python's traits – the lack of
efficiency. Large and complex mathematical calculations may be easily coded in Python
(much easier than in "C" or any other traditional language), but the resulting code execution
may be extremely time-consuming.

How are these two contradictions reconciled? One solution is to write your mathematical
ideas using Python, and when you're absolutely sure that your code is correct and produces
valid results, you can translate it into "C". Certainly, "C" will run much faster than pure
Python.

This is what Cython is intended to do – to automatically translate the Python code (clean and
clear, but not too swift) into "C" code (complicated and talkative, but agile).

Jython
Another version of Python is called Jython.

"J" is for "Java". Imagine a Python written in Java instead of C. This is useful, for example, if
you develop large and complex systems written entirely in Java and want to add some
Python flexibility to them. The traditional CPython may be difficult to integrate into such an
environment, as C and Java live in completely different worlds and don't share many
common ideas.

Jython can communicate with existing Java infrastructure more effectively. This is why some
projects find it useful and necessary.

Note: the current Jython implementation follows Python 2 standards. There is no Jython
conforming to Python 3, so far.

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PyPy and RPython
Take a look at the logo below. It's a rebus. Can you solve it?

It's a logo of the PyPy - a Python within a Python. In other words, it represents a Python
environment written in Python-like language named RPython (Restricted Python). It is
actually a subset of Python.

The source code of PyPy is not run in the interpretation manner, but is instead translated
into the C programming language and then executed separately.

This is useful because if you want to test any new feature that may be (but doesn't have to
be) introduced into mainstream Python implementation, it's easier to check it with PyPy
than with CPython. This is why PyPy is rather a tool for people developing Python than for
the rest of the users.

This doesn't make PyPy any less important or less serious than CPython, of course.

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In addition, PyPy is compatible with the Python 3 language.

There are many more different Pythons in the world. You'll find them if you look, but this
course will focus on CPython.

How to get Python and how to get to use it

There are several ways to get your own copy of Python 3, depending on the operating
system you use.

Linux users most probably have Python already installed - this is the most likely
scenario, as Python's infrastructure is intensively used by many Linux OS components.

For example, some distributors may couple their specific tools together with the system and
many of these tools, like package managers, are often written in Python. Some parts of
graphical environments available in the Linux world may use Python, too.

If you're a Linux user, open the terminal/console, and type:

python3

at the shell prompt, press Enter and wait.

If you see something like this:

Python 3.4.5 (default, Jan 12 2017, 02:28:40)

[GCC 4.2.1 Compatible Clang 3.7.1 (tags/RELEASE_371/final)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

then you don't have to do anything else.

If Python 3 is absent, then refer to your Linux documentation in order to find out how to use
your package manager to download and install a new package – the one you need is
named python3 or its name begins with that.

All non-Linux users can download a copy at https://www.python.org/downloads/.

Downloading and installing Python

Because the browser tells the site you've entered the OS you use, the only step you have to
take is to click the appropriate Python version you want.

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In this case, select Python 3. The site always offers you the latest version of it.

If you're a Windows user, start the downloaded .exe file and follow all the steps.

Leave the default settings the installer suggests for now, with one exception - look at the
checkbox named Add Python 3.x to PATH and check it.

This will make things easier.

If you're a macOS user, a version of Python 2 may already have been preinstalled on your
computer, but since we will be working with Python 3, you will still need to download and
install the relevant .pkg file from the Python site.

Starting your work with Python

Now that you have Python 3 installed, it's time to check if it works and make the very first
use of it.

This will be a very simple procedure, but it should be enough to convince you that the
Python environment is complete and functional.

There are many ways of utilizing Python, especially if you're going to be a Python developer.

To start your work, you need the following tools:

 an editor which will support you in writing the code (it should have some special
features, not available in simple tools); this dedicated editor will give you more than
the standard OS equipment;
 a console in which you can launch your newly written code and stop it forcibly when
it gets out of control;
 a tool named a debugger, able to launch your code step-by-step, which will allow
you to inspect it at each moment of execution.

Besides its many useful components, the Python 3 standard installation contains a very
simple but extremely useful application named IDLE.

IDLE is an acronym: Integrated Development and Learning Environment.

How to write and run your very first program

It is now time to write and run your first Python 3 program. It will be very simple, for now.

The first step is to create a new source file and fill it with code. Click File in the IDLE menu
and choose New file.

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As you can see, IDLE opens a new window for you. You can use it to write and amend your
code.

This is the editor window. Its only purpose is to be a workplace in which your source code
is treated. Do not confuse the editor window with the shell window. They perform different
functions.

The editor window is currently untitled, but it's good practice to start work by naming the
source file.

Click File (in the new window), then click Save as..., select a folder for the new file (the
desktop is a good place for your first programming attempts) and chose a name for the new
file.

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Note: don't set any extension for the file name you are going to use. Python needs its files to
have the .py extension, so you should rely on the dialog window's defaults. Using the
standard .py extension enables the OS to properly open these files.

How to write and run your very first program

Now put just one line into your newly opened and named editor window.

The line looks like this:

print ("Hisssssss...")

You can use the clipboard to copy the text into the file.

We're not going to explain the meaning of the program right now. You'll find a detailed discussion in the
next chapter.

Take a closer look at the quotation marks. These are the simplest form of quotation marks (neutral,
straight, dumb, etc.) commonly used in source files. Do not try to use typographic quotes (curved, curly,
smart, etc.), used by advanced text processors, as Python doesn’t accept them.

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Save the file (File -> Save) and run the program (Run -> Run Module).

If everything goes okay and there are no mistakes in the code, the console window will show you the
effects caused by running the program.

In this case, the program hisses.

Try to run it once again. And once more.

Now close both windows now and return to the desktop.

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How to spoil and fix your code
Now start IDLE again.

 Click File, Open, point to the file you saved previously and let IDLE read it in.
 Try to run it again by pressing F5 when the editor window is active.

As you can see, IDLE is able to save your code and retrieve it when you need it again.

IDLE contains one additional and helpful feature.

 First, remove the closing parenthesis.

 Then enter the parenthesis again.

Your code should look like the one down here:

Hisssssss...

output

Every time you put the closing parenthesis in your program, IDLE will show the part of the text limited
with a pair of corresponding parentheses. This helps you to remember to place them in pairs.

Remove the closing parenthesis again. The code becomes erroneous. It contains a syntax error now. IDLE
should not let you run it.

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Try to run the program again. IDLE will remind you to save the modified file. Follow the instructions.

How to spoil and fix your code

Watch all the windows carefully.

A new window appears – it says that the interpreter has encountered an EOF (end-of-file) although (in its
opinion) the code should contain some more text.

The editor window shows clearly where it happened.

Fix the code now. It should look like this:

print ("Hisssssss...")

Run it to see if it "hisses" again.

Let's spoil the code one more time. Remove one letter from the word print. Run the code by
pressing F5. What happens now? As you can see, Python is not able to recognize the instruction.

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How to spoil and fix your code
You may have noticed that the error message generated for the previous error is quite different from the
first one.

This is because the nature of the error is different and the error is discovered at a different stage of
interpretation.

The editor window will not provide any useful information regarding the error, but the console windows
might.

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The message (in red) shows (in the subsequent lines):

 the traceback (which is the path that the code traverses through different parts of the program -
you can ignore it for now, as it is empty in such a simple code);
 the location of the error (the name of the file containing the error, line number and module
name); note: the number may be misleading, as Python usually shows the place where it first
notices the effects of the error, not necessarily the error itself;
 the content of the erroneous line; note: IDLE’s editor window doesn’t show line numbers, but it
displays the current cursor location at the bottom-right corner; use it to locate the erroneous line in
a long source code;
 the name of the error and a short explanation.

Experiment with creating new files and running your code. Try to output a different message to the screen,
e.g.,  roar! ,  meow , or even maybe an  oink! . Try to spoil and fix your code - see what happens.

Python Essentials 1:
Module 2
Data types, variables, basic input-output operations, basic operators

In this module, you will learn:

 how to write and run simple Python programs;

 what Python literals, operators, and expressions are;
 what variables are and what are the rules that govern them;
 how to perform basic input and output operations.

Hello, World!
It's time to start writing some real, working Python code. It'll be very simple for the time
being.

As we're going to show you some fundamental concepts and terms, these snippets of code
won't be serious or complex.

Run the code in the editor window on the right. If everything goes okay here, you'll see
the line of text in the console window.

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Alternatively, launch IDLE, create a new Python source file, fill it with this code, name the file
and save it. Now run it. If everything goes okay, you'll see the rhyme's line in the IDLE
console window. The code you have run should look familiar. You saw something very
similar when we led you through the setting up of the IDLE environment.

Now we'll spend some time showing and explaining to you what you're actually seeing, and
why it looks like this.

As you can see, the first program consists of the following parts:

 the word  print ;

 an opening parenthesis;
 a quotation mark;
 a line of text:  Hello, World! ;
 another quotation mark;
 a closing parenthesis.

Each of the above plays a very important role in the code.

The print() function
Look at the line of code below:

print("Hello, World!")

The word print that you can see here is a function name. That doesn't mean that wherever the word
appears it is always a function name. The meaning of the word comes from the context in which the word
has been used.

You've probably encountered the term function many times before, during math classes. You can probably
also list several names of mathematical functions, like sine or log.

Python functions, however, are more flexible, and can contain more content than their mathematical
siblings.

A function (in this context) is a separate part of the computer code able to:

 cause some effect (e.g., send text to the terminal, create a file, draw an image, play a sound, etc.);
this is something completely unheard of in the world of mathematics;
 evaluate a value (e.g., the square root of a value or the length of a given text) and return it as the
function's result; this is what makes Python functions the relatives of mathematical concepts.

Moreover, many of Python functions can do the above two things together.

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Where do the functions come from?

 They may come from Python itself; the print function is one of this kind; such a function is an
added value received together with Python and its environment (it is built-in); you don't have to
do anything special (e.g., ask anyone for anything) if you want to make use of it;
 they may come from one or more of Python's add-ons named modules; some of the modules come
with Python, others may require separate installation - whatever the case, they all need to be
explicitly connected with your code (we'll show you how to do that soon);
 you can write them yourself, placing as many functions as you want and need inside your
program to make it simpler, clearer and more elegant.

The name of the function should be significant (the name of the print function is self-evident).

Of course, if you're going to make use of any already existing function, you have no influence on its name,
but when you start writing your own functions, you should consider carefully your choice of names.

The print() function
As we said before, a function may have:

 an effect;
 a result.

There's also a third, very important, function component - the argument(s).

Mathematical functions usually take one argument, e.g., sin(x) takes an x, which is the measure of an
angle.

Python functions, on the other hand, are more versatile. Depending on the individual needs, they may
accept any number of arguments - as many as necessary to perform their tasks. Note: any number includes
zero - some Python functions don't need any argument.

print("Hello, World!")

In spite of the number of needed/provided arguments, Python functions strongly demand the presence of a
pair of parentheses - opening and closing ones, respectively.

If you want to deliver one or more arguments to a function, you place them inside the parentheses. If
you're going to use a function which doesn't take any argument, you still have to have the parentheses.

Note: to distinguish ordinary words from function names, place a pair of empty parentheses after their
names, even if the corresponding function wants one or more arguments. This is a standard convention.

The function we're talking about here is  print() .

Does the  print()  function in our example have any arguments?

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Of course it does, but what are they?

The print() function
The only argument delivered to the  print()  function in this example is a string:

print("Hello, World!")

As you can see, the string is delimited with quotes - in fact, the quotes make the string - they cut out a
part of the code and assign a different meaning to it.

You can imagine that the quotes say something like: the text between us is not code. It isn't intended to be
executed, and you should take it as is.

Almost anything you put inside the quotes will be taken literally, not as code, but as data. Try to play with
this particular string - modify it, enter some new content, delete some of the existing content.

There's more than one way to specify a string inside Python's code, but for now, though, this one is
enough.

So far, you have learned about two important parts of the code: the function and the string. We've talked
about them in terms of syntax, but now it's time to discuss them in terms of semantics.

The print() function
The function name (print in this case) along with the parentheses and argument(s), forms the function
invocation.

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We'll discuss this in more depth soon, but we should just shed a little light on it right now.

print ("Hello, World!")

What happens when Python encounters an invocation like this one below?

function_name(argument)

Let's see:

 First, Python checks if the name specified is legal (it browses its internal data in order to find an
existing function of the name; if this search fails, Python aborts the code);
 second, Python checks if the function's requirements for the number of arguments allows you to
invoke the function in this way (e.g., if a specific function demands exactly two arguments, any
invocation delivering only one argument will be considered erroneous, and will abort the code's
execution);
 third, Python leaves your code for a moment and jumps into the function you want to invoke; of
course, it takes your argument(s) too and passes it/them to the function;
 fourth, the function executes its code, causes the desired effect (if any), evaluates the desired
result(s) (if any) and finishes its task;
 finally, Python returns to your code (to the place just after the invocation) and resumes its
execution.

The print() function
Three important questions have to be answered as soon as possible:

1. What is the effect the  print()  function causes?

The effect is very useful and very spectacular. The function:

 takes its arguments (it may accept more than one argument and may also accept less than one
argument)
 converts them into human-readable form if needed (as you may suspect, strings don't require this
action, as the string is already readable)
 and sends the resulting data to the output device (usually the console); in other words, anything
you put into the  print()  function will appear on your screen.

No wonder then, that from now on, you'll utilize  print()  very intensively to see the results of your
operations and evaluations.

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2. What arguments does  print()  expect?

Any. We'll show you soon that  print()  is able to operate with virtually all types of data offered by
Python. Strings, numbers, characters, logical values, objects - any of these may be successfully passed
to  print() .

3. What value does the  print()  function return?

None. Its effect is enough.

The print() function - instructions
You have already seen a computer program that contains one function invocation. A function invocation is
one of many possible kinds of Python instructions.

Of course, any complex program usually contains many more instructions than one. The question is: how
do you couple more than one instruction into the Python code?

Python's syntax is quite specific in this area. Unlike most programming languages, Python requires
that there cannot be more than one instruction in a line.

A line can be empty (i.e., it may contain no instruction at all) but it must not contain two, three or more
instructions. This is strictly prohibited.

Note: Python makes one exception to this rule - it allows one instruction to spread across more than one
line (which may be helpful when your code contains complex constructions).

Let's expand the code a bit, you can see it in the editor. Run it and note what you see in the console.

Your Python console should now look like this:

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

output

This is a good opportunity to make some observations:

 the program invokes the  print()  function twice, and you can see two separate lines in the
console - this means that  print()  begins its output from a new line each time it starts its
execution; you can change this behavior, but you can also use it to your advantage;
 each  print()  invocation contains a different string, as its argument and the console content
reflects it - this means that the instructions in the code are executed in the same order in which
they have been placed in the source file; no next instruction is executed until the previous one is
completed (there are some exceptions to this rule, but you can ignore them for now)
 







   Sandbox

Code
print("The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.")
print("Down came the rain and washed the spider out.")

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 2
3
print("The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.")
print("Down came the rain and washed the spider out.")

 Console 

The print() function - instructions
We've changed the example a bit - we've added one empty  print()  function invocation.
We call it empty because we haven't delivered any arguments to the function.

You can see it in the editor window. Run the code.

What happens?

If everything goes right, you should see something like this:

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

output

As you can see, the empty  print()  invocation is not as empty as you may have expected - it
does output an empty line, or (this interpretation is also correct) its output is just a newline.

This is not the only way to produce a newline in the output console. We're now going to
show you another way.

The print() function - the escape and newline

characters
We've modified the code again. Look at it carefully.

There are two very subtle changes - we've inserted a strange pair of characters inside the rhyme. They look
like this:  \n .

Interestingly, while you can see two characters, Python sees one.

The backslash ( \ ) has a very special meaning when used inside strings - this is called the escape
character.

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The word escape should be understood specifically - it means that the series of characters in the string
escapes for the moment (a very short moment) to introduce a special inclusion.

In other words, the backslash doesn't mean anything in itself, but is only a kind of announcement, that the
next character after the backslash has a different meaning too.

The letter  n  placed after the backslash comes from the word newline.

Both the backslash and the n form a special symbol named a newline character, which
urges the console to start a new output line.

Run the code. Your console should now look like this:

The itsy bitsy spider

climbed up the waterspout.

Down came the rain

and washed the spider out.

output

As you can see, two newlines appear in the nursery rhyme, in the places where the  \n  have been used.

 







   Sandbox

Code
print("The itsy bitsy spider\nclimbed up the waterspout.")
print()
print("Down came the rain\nand washed the spider out.")

1
2
3
4
print("The itsy bitsy spider\nclimbed up the waterspout.")
print()
print("Down came the rain\nand washed the spider out.")

 Console 


The itsy bitsy spider
climbed up the waterspout.

Down came the rain

and washed the spider out.

The print() function - the escape and newline

characters
This convention has two important consequences:

1. If you want to put just one backslash inside a string, don't forget its escaping nature - you
have to double it, e.g., such an invocation will cause an error:

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print("\")

while this one won't:

print("\\")

2. Not all escape pairs (the backslash coupled with another character) mean something.

Experiment with your code in the editor, run it, and see what happens.

The print() function - using multiple arguments

So far we have tested the  print()  function behavior with no arguments, and with one
argument. It's also worth trying to feed the print() function with more than one argument.

Look at the editor window. This is what we're going to test now:

print("The itsy bitsy spider" , "climbed up" , "the waterspout.")

There is one  print()  function invocation, but it contains three arguments. All of them are
strings.

The arguments are separated by commas. We've surrounded them with spaces to make
them more visible, but it's not really necessary, and we won't be doing it anymore.

In this case, the commas separating the arguments play a completely different role than the
comma inside the string. The former is a part of Python's syntax, the latter is intended to be
shown in the console.

If you look at the code again, you'll see that there are no spaces inside the strings.

Run the code and see what happens.

The console should now be showing the following text:

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The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout.

output

The spaces, removed from the strings, have appeared again. Can you explain why?

Two conclusions emerge from this example:

 a  print()  function invoked with more than one argument outputs them all on
one line;
 the  print()  function puts a space between the outputted arguments on its own
initiative.

The print() function - the positional way of passing the

arguments
Now that you know a bit about  print()  function customs, we're going to show you how to
change them.

You should be able to predict the output without running the code in the editor.

The way in which we are passing the arguments into the  print()  function is the most
common in Python, and is called the positional way (this name comes from the fact that
the meaning of the argument is dictated by its position, e.g., the second argument will be
outputted after the first, not the other way round).

Run the code and check if the output matches your predictions.

The print() function - the keyword arguments

Python offers another mechanism for the passing of arguments, which can be helpful when
you want to convince the  print()  function to change its behavior a bit.

We aren't going to explain it in depth right now. We plan to do this when we talk about
functions. For now, we simply want to show you how it works. Feel free to use it in your own
programs.

The mechanism is called keyword arguments. The name stems from the fact that the
meaning of these arguments is taken not from its location (position) but from the special
word (keyword) used to identify them.

The  print()  function has two keyword arguments that you can use for your purposes. The
first of them is named  end .

In the editor window you can see a very simple example of using a keyword argument.

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In order to use it, it is necessary to know some rules:

 a keyword argument consists of three elements: a keyword identifying the

argument ( end  here); an equal sign ( = ); and a value assigned to that argument;
 any keyword arguments have to be put after the last positional argument (this is
very important)

In our example, we have made use of the  end  keyword argument, and set it to a string
containing one space.

Run the code to see how it works.

The console should now be showing the following text:

My name is Python. Monty Python.

output

As you can see, the  end  keyword argument determines the characters the print() function
sends to the output once it reaches the end of its positional arguments.

The default behavior reflects the situation where the  end  keyword argument
is implicitly used in the following way:  end="\n" .

The print() function - the keyword arguments

And now it's time to try something more difficult.

If you look carefully, you'll see that we've used the  end  argument, but the string assigned to
it is empty (it contains no characters at all).

What will happen now? Run the program in the editor to find out.

As the  end  argument has been set to nothing, the  print()  function outputs nothing too,
once its positional arguments have been exhausted.

The console should now be showing the following text:

My name is Monty Python.

output

Note: no newlines have been sent to the output.

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The string assigned to the  end  keyword argument can be of any length. Experiment with it if
you want.

The print() function - the keyword arguments

We've said previously that the  print()  function separates its outputted arguments with
spaces. This behavior can be changed, too.

The keyword argument that can do this is named  sep  (like separator).

Look at the code in the editor, and run it.

The  sep  argument delivers the following results:

My-name-is-Monty-Python.

output

The  print()  function now uses a dash, instead of a space, to separate the outputted
arguments.

Note: the  sep  argument's value may be an empty string, too. Try it for yourself.

The print() function - the keyword arguments

Both keyword arguments may be mixed in one invocation, just like here in the editor
window.

The example doesn't make much sense, but it visibly presents the interactions
between  end  and  sep .

Can you predict the output?

Run the code and see if it matches your predictions.

Now that you understand the  print()  function, you're ready to consider how to store and
process data in Python.

Without  print() , you wouldn't be able to see any results.

Estimated time
5-10 minutes

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Level of difficulty
Very Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the  print()  function and its formatting capabilities;
 experimenting with Python code.

Scenario
Modify the first line of code in the editor, using the  sep  and  end  keywords, to match the
expected output. Use the two  print()  functions in the editor.

Don't change anything in the second  print()  invocation.

Expected output
Programming***Essentials***in...Python

output

print("Programming","Essentials","in",sep="***",end="...")

print("Python")

 Console 


Programming***Essentials***in...Python

LAB

Estimated time
5-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

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Objectives
 experimenting with existing Python code;
 discovering and fixing basic syntax errors;
 becoming familiar with the  print()  function and its formatting capabilities.

Scenario
We strongly encourage you to play with the code we've written for you, and make some
(maybe even destructive) amendments. Feel free to modify any part of the code, but there is
one condition - learn from your mistakes and draw your own conclusions.

Try to:

 minimize the number of  print()  function invocations by inserting the  \n  sequence
into the strings
 make the arrow twice as large (but keep the proportions)
 duplicate the arrow, placing both arrows side by side; note: a string may be
multiplied by using the following trick:  "string" * 2  will
produce  "stringstring"  (we'll tell you more about it soon)
 remove any of the quotes, and look carefully at Python's response; pay attention to
where Python sees an error - is this the place where the error really exists?
 do the same with some of the parentheses;
 change any of the  print  words into something else, differing only in case
(e.g.,  Print ) - what happens now?
 replace some of the quotes with apostrophes; watch what happens carefully.
LAB

Estimated time
5-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 experimenting with existing Python code;
 discovering and fixing basic syntax errors;
 becoming familiar with the  print()  function and its formatting capabilities.

Scenario
We strongly encourage you to play with the code we've written for you, and make some
(maybe even destructive) amendments. Feel free to modify any part of the code, but there is
one condition - learn from your mistakes and draw your own conclusions.

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Try to:

 minimize the number of  print()  function invocations by inserting the  \n  sequence
into the strings
 make the arrow twice as large (but keep the proportions)
 duplicate the arrow, placing both arrows side by side; note: a string may be
multiplied by using the following trick:  "string" * 2  will
produce  "stringstring"  (we'll tell you more about it soon)
 remove any of the quotes, and look carefully at Python's response; pay attention to
where Python sees an error - is this the place where the error really exists?
 do the same with some of the parentheses;
 change any of the  print  words into something else, differing only in case
(e.g.,  Print ) - what happens now?
 replace some of the quotes with apostrophes; watch what happens carefully.

print(" * "*2,"\n"," * * "*2,"\n"," * * "*2,"\n"," * * "*2,"\n","*** *** "*2,"\n","

* * "*2,"\n"," * * "*2,"\n"," ***** "*2)

 Console 


* *
* * * *
* * * *
* * * *
*** *** *** ***
* * * *
* * * *
***** *****

Key takeaways
1. The  print()  function is a built-in function. It prints/outputs a specified message to the
screen/consol window.

2. Built-in functions, contrary to user-defined functions, are always available and don't have
to be imported. Python 3.8 comes with 69 built-in functions. You can find their full list
provided in alphabetical order in the Python Standard Library.

3. To call a function (this process is known as function invocation or function call), you

need to use the function name followed by parentheses. You can pass arguments into a
function by placing them inside the parentheses. You must separate arguments with a

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comma, e.g.,  print("Hello,", "world!") . An "empty"  print()  function outputs an
empty line to the screen.

4. Python strings are delimited with quotes, e.g.,  "I am a string"  (double quotes), or  'I
am a string, too'  (single quotes).

5. Computer programs are collections of instructions. An instruction is a command to

perform a specific task when executed, e.g., to print a certain message to the screen.

6. In Python strings the backslash ( \ ) is a special character which announces that the next
character has a different meaning, e.g.,  \n  (the newline character) starts a new output line.

7. Positional arguments are the ones whose meaning is dictated by their position, e.g., the
second argument is outputted after the first, the third is outputted after the second, etc.

8. Keyword arguments are the ones whose meaning is not dictated by their location, but
by a special word (keyword) used to identify them.

9. The  end  and  sep  parameters can be used for formatting the output of
the  print()  function. The  sep  parameter specifies the separator between the outputted
arguments (e.g.,  print("H", "E", "L", "L", "O", sep="-") , whereas
the  end  parameter specifies what to print at the end of the print statement.

Literals - the data in itself

Now that you have a little knowledge of some of the powerful features offered by the  print()  function,
it's time to learn about some new issues, and one important new term - the literal.

A literal is data whose values are determined by the literal itself.

As this is a difficult concept to understand, a good example may be helpful.

Take a look at the following set of digits:

123

Can you guess what value it represents? Of course you can - it's one hundred twenty three.

But what about this:

Does it represent any value? Maybe. It can be the symbol of the speed of light, for example. It also can be
the constant of integration. Or even the length of a hypotenuse in the sense of a Pythagorean theorem.
There are many possibilities.

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You cannot choose the right one without some additional knowledge.

And this is the clue:  123  is a literal, and  c  is not.

You use literals to encode data and to put them into your code. We're now going to show you some
conventions you have to obey when using Python.

Literals - the data in itself

Let's start with a simple experiment - take a look at the snippet in the editor.

The first line looks familiar. The second seems to be erroneous due to the visible lack of
quotes.

Try to run it.

If everything went okay, you should now see two identical lines.

What happened? What does it mean?

Through this example, you encounter two different types of literals:

 a string, which you already know,

 and an integer number, something completely new.

The  print()  function presents them in exactly the same way - this example is obvious, as
their human-readable representation is also the same. Internally, in the computer's
memory, these two values are stored in completely different ways - the string exists as just a
string - a series of letters.

The number is converted into machine representation (a set of bits). The  print()  function
is able to show them both in a form readable to humans.

We're now going to be spending some time discussing numeric literals and their internal
life.

Integers
You may already know a little about how computers perform calculations on numbers. Perhaps you've
heard of the binary system, and know that it's the system computers use for storing numbers, and that they
can perform any operation upon them.

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We won't explore the intricacies of positional numeral systems here, but we'll say that the numbers handled
by modern computers are of two types:

 integers, that is, those which are devoid of the fractional part;
 and floating-point numbers (or simply floats), that contain (or are able to contain) the fractional
part.

This definition is not entirely accurate, but quite sufficient for now. The distinction is very important, and
the boundary between these two types of numbers is very strict. Both of these kinds of numbers differ
significantly in how they're stored in a computer memory and in the range of acceptable values.

The characteristic of the numeric value which determines its kind, range, and application, is called
the type.

If you encode a literal and place it inside Python code, the form of the literal determines the representation
(type) Python will use to store it in the memory.

For now, let's leave the floating-point numbers aside (we'll come back to them soon) and consider the
question of how Python recognizes integers.

The process is almost like how you would write them with a pencil on paper - it's simply a string of digits
that make up the number. But there's a reservation - you must not interject any characters that are not digits
inside the number.

Take, for example, the number eleven million one hundred and eleven thousand one hundred and eleven. If
you took a pencil in your hand right now, you would write the number like this:  11,111,111 , or like
this:  11.111.111 , or even like this:  11 111 111 .

It's clear that this provision makes it easier to read, especially when the number consists of many digits.
However, Python doesn't accept things like these. It's prohibited. What Python does allow, though, is the
use of underscores in numeric literals.*

Therefore, you can write this number either like this:  11111111 , or like that:  11_111_111 .

NOTE   *Python 3.6 has introduced underscores in numeric literals, allowing for placing single
underscores between digits and after base specifiers for improved readability. This feature is not available
in older versions of Python.

And how do we code negative numbers in Python? As usual - by adding a minus. You can write:  -
11111111 , or  -11_111_111 .

Positive numbers do not need to be preceded by the plus sign, but it's permissible, if you wish to do it. The
following lines describe the same number:  +11111111  and  11111111 .

Integers: octal and hexadecimal numbers

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There are two additional conventions in Python that are unknown to the world of mathematics. The first
allows us to use numbers in an octal representation.

If an integer number is preceded by an  0O  or  0o  prefix (zero-o), it will be treated as an octal value. This
means that the number must contain digits taken from the [0..7] range only.

0o123  is an octal number with a (decimal) value equal to  83 .

The  print()  function does the conversion automatically. Try this:

print (0o123)

The second convention allows us to use hexadecimal numbers. Such numbers should be preceded by the
prefix  0x  or  0X  (zero-x).

0x123  is a hexadecimal number with a (decimal) value equal to  291 . The print() function can manage
these values too. Try this:

print (0x123)

Floats
Now it's time to talk about another type, which is designed to represent and to store the numbers that (as a
mathematician would say) have a non-empty decimal fraction.

They are the numbers that have (or may have) a fractional part after the decimal point, and although such a
definition is very poor, it's certainly sufficient for what we wish to discuss.

Whenever we use a term like two and a half or minus zero point four, we think of numbers which the
computer considers floating-point numbers:

2.5
-0.4

Note: two and a half looks normal when you write it in a program, although if your native language prefers
to use a comma instead of a point in the number, you should ensure that your number doesn't contain
any commas at all.

Python will not accept that, or (in very rare but possible cases) may misunderstand your intentions, as the
comma itself has its own reserved meaning in Python.

If you want to use just a value of two and a half, you should write it as shown above. Note once again -
there is a point between 2 and 5 - not a comma.

As you can probably imagine, the value of zero point four could be written in Python as:

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0.4

But don't forget this simple rule - you can omit zero when it is the only digit in front of or after the decimal
point.

In essence, you can write the value  0.4  as:

.4

For example: the value of  4.0  could be written as:

4.

This will change neither its type nor its value.

Ints vs. floats

The decimal point is essentially important in recognizing floating-point numbers in Python.

Look at these two numbers:

4
4.0

You may think that they are exactly the same, but Python sees them in a completely different way.

4  is an integer number, whereas  4.0  is a floating-point number.

The point is what makes a float.

On the other hand, it's not only points that make a float. You can also use the letter  e .

When you want to use any numbers that are very large or very small, you can use scientific notation.

Take, for example, the speed of light, expressed in meters per second. Written directly it would look like
this:  300000000 .

To avoid writing out so many zeros, physics textbooks use an abbreviated form, which you have probably
already seen:  3 x 108 .

It reads: three times ten to the power of eight.

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In Python, the same effect is achieved in a slightly different way - take a look:

3E8

The letter  E  (you can also use the lower-case letter  e  - it comes from the word exponent) is a concise
record of the phrase times ten to the power of.

Note:

 the exponent (the value after the E) has to be an integer;

 the base (the value in front of the E) may be an integer.

Coding floats
Let's see how this convention is used to record numbers that are very small (in the sense of their absolute
value, which is close to zero).

A physical constant called Planck's constant (and denoted as h), according to the textbooks, has the value
of: 6.62607 x 10-34.

If you would like to use it in a program, you should write it this way:

6.62607E-34

Note: the fact that you've chosen one of the possible forms of coding float values doesn't mean that Python
will present it the same way.

Python may sometimes choose different notation than you.

For example, let's say you've decided to use the following float literal:

0.0000000000000000000001

When you run this literal through Python:

print (0.0000000000000000000001)

this is the result:

1e-22

output

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Python always chooses the more economical form of the number's presentation, and you should take
this into consideration when creating literals.

Strings
Strings are used when you need to process text (like names of all kinds, addresses, novels, etc.), not
numbers.

You already know a bit about them, e.g., that strings need quotes the way floats need points.

This is a very typical string:  "I am a string."

However, there is a catch. The catch is how to encode a quote inside a string which is already delimited by
quotes.

Let's assume that we want to print a very simple message saying:

I like "Monty Python"

How do we do it without generating an error? There are two possible solutions.

The first is based on the concept we already know of the escape character, which you should remember is
played by the backslash. The backslash can escape quotes too. A quote preceded by a backslash changes
its meaning - it's not a delimiter, but just a quote. This will work as intended:

print ("I like \"Monty Python\"")

Note: there are two escaped quotes inside the string - can you see them both?

The second solution may be a bit surprising. Python can use an apostrophe instead of a quote. Either of
these characters may delimit strings, but you must be consistent.

If you open a string with a quote, you have to close it with a quote.

If you start a string with an apostrophe, you have to end it with an apostrophe.

This example will work too:

print ('I like "Monty Python"')

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Note: you don't need to do any escaping here.

Boolean values
To conclude with Python's literals, there are two additional ones.

They're not as obvious as any of the previous ones, as they're used to represent a very abstract value
- truthfulness.

Each time you ask Python if one number is greater than another, the question results in the creation of
some specific data - a Boolean value.

The name comes from George Boole (1815-1864), the author of the fundamental work, The Laws of
Thought, which contains the definition of Boolean algebra - a part of algebra which makes use of only
two distinct values:  True  and  False , denoted as  1  and  0 .

A programmer writes a program, and the program asks questions. Python executes the program, and
provides the answers. The program must be able to react according to the received answers.

Fortunately, computers know only two kinds of answers:

 Yes, this is true;

 No, this is false.

You'll never get a response like: I don't know or Probably yes, but I don't know for sure.

Python, then, is a binary reptile.

These two Boolean values have strict denotations in Python:

True
False

You cannot change anything - you have to take these symbols as they are, including case-sensitivity.

Challenge: What will be the output of the following snippet of code?

print (True > False)

print (True < False)

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Run the code in the Sandbox to check. Can you explain the result?

Estimated time
5-10 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the  print()  function and its formatting capabilities;
 practicing coding strings;
 experimenting with Python code.

Scenario
Write a one-line piece of code, using the  print()  function, as well as the newline and
escape characters, to match the expected result outputted on three lines.

Expected output
"I'm"
""learning""
"""Python"""

print('"I\'m"','\n','"learning"','\n','\"\"\"python\"\"\"')

"I'm"
"learning"
"""python"""

Key takeaways
1. Literals are notations for representing some fixed values in code. Python has various types of literals -
for example, a literal can be a number (numeric literals, e.g.,  123 ), or a string (string literals, e.g., "I am a
literal.").

2. The binary system is a system of numbers that employs 2 as the base. Therefore, a binary number is
made up of 0s and 1s only, e.g.,  1010  is 10 in decimal.

Octal and hexadecimal numeration systems, similarly, employ 8 and 16 as their bases

respectively. The hexadecimal system uses the decimal numbers and six extra letters.

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3. Integers (or simply ints) are one of the numerical types supported by Python. They are numbers written
without a fractional component, e.g.,  256 , or  -1  (negative integers).

4. Floating-point numbers (or simply floats) are another one of the numerical types supported by Python.
They are numbers that contain (or are able to contain) a fractional component, e.g.,  1.27 .

5. To encode an apostrophe or a quote inside a string you can either use the escape character, e.g.,  'I\'m
happy.' , or open and close the string using an opposite set of symbols to the ones you wish to encode,
e.g.,  "I'm happy."  to encode an apostrophe, and  'He said "Python", not "typhoon"'  to
encode a (double) quote.

6. Boolean values are the two constant objects  True  and  False  used to represent truth values (in
numeric contexts  1  is  True , while  0  is  False .

EXTRA

There is one more, special literal that is used in Python: the  None  literal. This literal is a so-
called  NoneType  object, and it is used to represent the absence of a value. We'll tell you more about it
soon.

Exercise 1

What types of literals are the following two examples?

"Hello ", "007"

Check

They're both strings/string literals.

Exercise 2

What types of literals are the following four examples?

"1.5", 2.0, 528, False

Check

The first is a string, the second is a numerical literal (a float), the third is a numerical literal (an integer),
and the fourth is a boolean literal.

Exercise 3

What is the decimal value of the following binary number?

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1011
Check

It's  11 , because (2**0) + (2**1) + (2**3) = 11

Python as a calculator
Now, we're going to show you a completely new side of the print() function. You already
know that the function is able to show you the values of the literals passed to it by
arguments.

In fact, it can do something more. Take a look at the snippet:

print (2+2)

Retype the code in the editor and run it. Can you guess the output?

You should see the number four. Feel free to experiment with other operators.

Without taking this too seriously, you've just discovered that Python can be used as a
calculator. Not a very handy one, and definitely not a pocket one, but a calculator
nonetheless.

Taking it more seriously, we are now entering the province of operators and expressions.

Basic operators
An operator is a symbol of the programming language, which is able to operate on the
values.

For example, just as in arithmetic, the  +  (plus) sign is the operator which is able to add two
numbers, giving the result of the addition.

Not all Python operators are as obvious as the plus sign, though, so let's go through some of
the operators available in Python, and we'll explain which rules govern their use, and how to
interpret the operations they perform.

We'll begin with the operators which are associated with the most widely recognizable
arithmetic operations:

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+ ,  - ,  * ,  / ,  // ,  % ,  **

The order of their appearance is not accidental. We'll talk more about it once we've gone
through them all.

Remember: Data and operators when connected together form expressions. The simplest
expression is a literal itself.

print("2"+2)

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "main.py", line 1, in <module>
print("2"+2)
TypeError: can only concatenate str (not "int") to str

print("2"*2)

22

print("2"**2)

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "main.py", line 1, in <module>
print("2"**2)
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ** or pow(): 'str' and 'int'

Arithmetic operators: exponentiation

A  **  (double asterisk) sign is an exponentiation (power) operator. Its left argument is
the base, its right, the exponent.

Classical mathematics prefers notation with superscripts, just like this: 23. Pure text editors
don't accept that, so Python uses  **  instead, e.g.,  2 ** 3 .

Take a look at our examples in the editor window.

Note: we've surrounded the double asterisks with spaces in our examples. It's not
compulsory, but it improves the readability of the code.

The examples show a very important feature of virtually all Python numerical operators.

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Run the code and look carefully at the results it produces. Can you see any regularity here?

Remember: It's possible to formulate the following rules based on this result:

 when both  **  arguments are integers, the result is an integer, too;

 when at least one  **  argument is a float, the result is a float, too.

This is an important distinction to remember.

print(2 ** 3)

print(2 ** 3.)

print(2. ** 3)

print(2. ** 3.)

8
8.0
8.0
8.0

Arithmetic operators: multiplication

An  *  (asterisk) sign is a multiplication operator.

Run the code below and check if our integer vs. float rule is still working.

print (2 * 3)
print (2 * 3.)
print (2. * 3)
print (2. * 3.)

6
6.0
6.0
6.0

Arithmetic operators: division

A  /  (slash) sign is a divisional operator.

The value in front of the slash is a dividend, the value behind the slash, a divisor.

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Run the code below and analyze the results.

print (6 / 3)
print (6 / 3.)
print (6. / 3)
print (6. / 3.)

2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0

You should see that there is an exception to the rule.

The result produced by the division operator is always a float, regardless of whether or
not the result seems to be a float at first glance:  1 / 2 , or if it looks like a pure integer:  2 /
1.

Is this a problem? Yes, it is. It happens sometimes that you really need a division that
provides an integer value, not a float.

Fortunately, Python can help you with that.

Arithmetic operators: integer division

A  //  (double slash) sign is an integer divisional operator. It differs from the
standard  /  operator in two details:

 its result lacks the fractional part - it's absent (for integers), or is always equal to zero
(for floats); this means that the results are always rounded;
 it conforms to the integer vs. float rule.

Run the example below and see the results:

print (6 // 3)
print (6 // 3.)
print (6. // 3)
print (6. // 3.)

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As you can see, integer by integer division gives an integer result. All other cases produce
floats.

Let's do some more advanced tests.

Look at the following snippet:

print (6 // 4)
print (6. // 4)

Imagine that we used  /  instead of  //  - could you predict the results?

Yes, it would be  1.5  in both cases. That's clear.

But what results should we expect with  //  division?

Run the code and see for yourself.

What we get is two ones - one integer and one float.

The result of integer division is always rounded to the nearest integer value that is less than
the real (not rounded) result.

This is very important: rounding always goes to the lesser integer.

Look at the code below and try to predict the results once again:

print (-6 // 4)
print (6. // -4)

Note: some of the values are negative. This will obviously affect the result. But how?

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The result is two negative twos. The real (not rounded) result is  -1.5  in both cases.
However, the results are the subjects of rounding. The rounding goes toward the lesser
integer value, and the lesser integer value is  -2 , hence:  -2  and  -2.0 .

NOTE

Integer division can also be called floor division. You will definitely come across this term in
the future.

print(6 // 4)
print(6. // 4)
print(-6 // 4)
print(6. // -4)

1
1.0
-2
-2.0

Operators: remainder (modulo)

The next operator is quite a peculiar one, because it has no equivalent among traditional
arithmetic operators.

Its graphical representation in Python is the  %  (percent) sign, which may look a bit confusing.

Try to think of it as of a slash (division operator) accompanied by two funny little circles.

The result of the operator is a remainder left after the integer division.

In other words, it's the value left over after dividing one value by another to produce an
integer quotient.

Note: the operator is sometimes called modulo in other programming languages.

Take a look at the snippet - try to predict its result and then run it:

print (14 % 4)

As you can see, the result is two. This is why:

 14 // 4  gives  3  → this is the integer quotient;

 3 * 4  gives  12  → as a result of quotient and divisor multiplication;
 14 - 12  gives  2  → this is the remainder.

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This example is somewhat more complicated:

print (12 % 4.5)

What is the result?

Check

Operators: how not to divide

As you probably know, division by zero doesn't work.

Do not try to:

 perform a division by zero;

 perform an integer division by zero;
 find a remainder of a division by zero.

3.0 - not 3 but 3.0 (the rule still works: 12 // 4.5 gives 2.0; 2.0 * 4.5 gives 9.0; 12

- 9.0 gives 3.0)

Operators: addition
The addition operator is the  +  (plus) sign, which is fully in line with mathematical standards.

Again, take a look at the snippet of the program below:

print (-4 + 4)
print (-4. + 8)

The result should be nothing surprising. Run the code to check it.

The subtraction operator, unary and binary operators

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The subtraction operator is obviously the  -  (minus) sign, although you should note that
this operator also has another meaning - it can change the sign of a number.

This is a great opportunity to present a very important distinction

between unary and binary operators.

In subtracting applications, the minus operator expects two arguments: the left

(a minuend in arithmetical terms) and right (a subtrahend).

For this reason, the subtraction operator is considered to be one of the binary operators,
just like the addition, multiplication and division operators.

But the minus operator may be used in a different (unary) way - take a look at the last line of
the snippet below:

print(-4 - 4)
print(4. - 8)
print(-1.1)

By the way: there is also a unary  +  operator. You can use it like this:

print (+2)

The operator preserves the sign of its only argument - the right one.

Although such a construction is syntactically correct, using it doesn't make much sense, and
it would be hard to find a good rationale for doing so.

Take a look at the snippet above - can you guess its output?

print(-4 - 4)
print(4. - 8)
print(-1.1)
print(+2)

-8
-4.0
-1.1
2

Operators and their priorities

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So far, we've treated each operator as if it had no connection with the others. Obviously, such an ideal and
simple situation is a rarity in real programming.

Also, you will very often find more than one operator in one expression, and then this presumption is no
longer so obvious.

Consider the following expression:

2 + 3 * 5

You probably remember from school that multiplications precede additions.

You surely remember that you should first multiply 3 by 5 and, keeping the 15 in your memory, then add it
to 2, thus getting the result of 17.

The phenomenon that causes some operators to act before others is known as the hierarchy of priorities.

Python precisely defines the priorities of all operators, and assumes that operators of a larger (higher)
priority perform their operations before the operators of a lower priority.

So, if you know that  *  has a higher priority than  + , the computation of the final result should be obvious.

Operators and their bindings

The binding of the operator determines the order of computations performed by some operators with equal
priority, put side by side in one expression.

Most of Python's operators have left-sided binding, which means that the calculation of the expression is
conducted from left to right.

This simple example will show you how it works. Take a look:

print (9 % 6 % 2)

There are two possible ways of evaluating this expression:

 from left to right: first  9 % 6  gives  3 , and then  3 % 2  gives  1 ;

 from right to left: first  6 % 2  gives  0 , and then  9 % 0  causes a fatal error.

Run the example and see what you get.

The result should be  1 . This operator has left-sided binding. But there's one interesting exception.

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Operators and their bindings: exponentiation
Repeat the experiment, but now with exponentiation.

Use this snippet of code:

print (2 ** 2 ** 3)

The two possible results are:

 2 ** 2  →  4 ;  4 ** 3  →  64
 2 ** 3  →  8 ;  2 ** 8  →  256

Run the code. What do you see?

The result clearly shows that the exponentiation operator uses right-sided binding.

List of priorities
Since you're new to Python operators, we don't want to present the complete list of operator priorities right
now.

Instead, we'll show you its truncated form, and we'll expand it consistently as we introduce new operators.

Look at the table below:

Priority Operator
1 + ,  - unary
2 **
3 * ,  / ,  // ,  %
4 + ,  - binary

Note: we've enumerated the operators in order from the highest (1) to the lowest (4) priorities.

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Try to work through the following expression:

print (2 * 3 % 5)

Both operators ( *  and  % ) have the same priority, so the result can be guessed only when you know the
binding direction. How do you think? What is the result?

Check

Operators and parentheses

Of course, you're always allowed to use parentheses, which can change the natural order of a calculation.

In accordance with the arithmetic rules, subexpressions in parentheses are always calculated first.

You can use as many parentheses as you need, and they're often used to improve the readability of an
expression, even if they don't change the order of the operations.

An example of an expression with multiple parentheses is here:

print ((5 * ((25 % 13) + 100) / (2 * 13)) // 2)

Try to compute the value that's printed to the console. What's the result of the  print()  function?

Check

10.0

Key takeaways
1. An expression is a combination of values (or variables, operators, calls to functions - you will learn
about them soon) which evaluates to a value, e.g.,  1 + 2 .

2. Operators are special symbols or keywords which are able to operate on the values and perform
(mathematical) operations, e.g., the  *  operator multiplies two values:  x * y .

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3. Arithmetic operators in Python:  +  (addition),  -  (subtraction),  *  (multiplication),  /  (classic division -
always returns a float),  %  (modulus - divides left operand by right operand and returns the remainder of the
operation, e.g.,  5 % 2 = 1 ),  **  (exponentiation - left operand raised to the power of right operand,
e.g.,  2 ** 3 = 2 * 2 * 2 = 8 ),  //  (floor/integer division - returns a number resulting from
division, but rounded down to the nearest whole number, e.g.,  3 // 2.0 = 1.0 )

4. A unary operator is an operator with only one operand, e.g.,  -1 , or  +3 .

5. A binary operator is an operator with two operands, e.g.,  4 + 5 , or  12 % 5 .

6. Some operators act before others - the hierarchy of priorities:

 unary  +  and  -  have the highest priority

 then:  ** , then:  * ,  / , and  % , and then the lowest priority: binary  +  and  - .

7. Subexpressions in parentheses are always calculated first, e.g.,  15 - 1 * (5 * (1 + 2)) = 0 .

8. The exponentiation operator uses right-sided binding, e.g.,  2 ** 2 ** 3 = 256 .

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

print ((2 ** 4), (2 * 4.), (2 * 4))

Check

16 8.0 8

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

print ((-2 / 4), (2 / 4), (2 // 4), (-2 // 4))

Check

-0.5 0.5 0 -1

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Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

print ((2 % -4), (2 % 4), (2 ** 3 ** 2))

Check

-2 2 512

What are variables?

It seems fairly obvious that Python should allow you to encode literals carrying number and text values.

You already know that you can do some arithmetic operations with these numbers: add, subtract, etc.
You'll be doing that many times.

But it's quite a normal question to ask how to store the results of these operations, in order to use them in
other operations, and so on.

How do you save the intermediate results, and use them again to produce subsequent ones?

Python will help you with that. It offers special "boxes" (containers) for that purpose, and these boxes are
called variables - the name itself suggests that the content of these containers can be varied in (almost) any
way.

What does every Python variable have?

 a name;
 a value (the content of the container)

Let's start with the issues related to a variable's name.

Variables do not appear in a program automatically. As developer, you must decide how many and which
variables to use in your programs.

You must also name them.

If you want to give a name to a variable, you must follow some strict rules:

 the name of the variable must be composed of upper-case or lower-case letters,

digits, and the character  _  (underscore)
 the name of the variable must begin with a letter;
 the underscore character is a letter;

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  upper- and lower-case letters are treated as different (a little differently than in the
real world - Alice and ALICE are the same first names, but in Python they are two
different variable names, and consequently, two different variables);
 the name of the variable must not be any of Python's reserved words (the keywords
- we'll explain more about this soon).

Correct and incorrect variable names

Note that the same restrictions apply to function names.

Python does not impose restrictions on the length of variable names, but that doesn't mean that a long
variable name is always better than a short one.

Here are some correct, but not always convenient variable names:

MyVariable ,  i ,  t34 ,  Exchange_Rate ,  counter ,  days_to_christmas ,  TheNameIsSoLongTh

atYouWillMakeMistakesWithIt ,  _ .

Moreover, Python lets you use not only Latin letters but also characters specific to languages that use other
alphabets.

These variable names are also correct:

Adiós_Señora ,  sûr_la_mer ,  Einbahnstraße ,  переменная .

And now for some incorrect names:

10t  (does not begin with a letter),  Exchange Rate  (contains a space)

NOTE

The PEP 8 -- Style Guide for Python Code recommends the following naming convention for variables and
functions in Python:

 variable names should be lowercase, with words separated by underscores to improve readability
(e.g.,  var ,  my_variable )
 function names follow the same convention as variable names (e.g.,  fun ,  my_function )
 it's also possible to use mixed case (e.g.,  myVariable ), but only in contexts where that's already
the prevailing style, to retain backwards compatibility with the adopted convention.

Keywords

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Take a look at the list of words that play a very special role in every Python program.

['False', 'None', 'True', 'and', 'as', 'assert', 'break', 'class',

'continue', 'def', 'del', 'elif', 'else', 'except', 'finally', 'for',
'from', 'global', 'if', 'import', 'in', 'is', 'lambda', 'nonlocal',
'not', 'or', 'pass', 'raise', 'return', 'try', 'while', 'with',
'yield']

They are called keywords or (more precisely) reserved keywords. They are reserved because you
mustn't use them as names: neither for your variables, nor functions, nor any other named entities you
want to create.

The meaning of the reserved word is predefined, and mustn't be changed in any way.

Fortunately, due to the fact that Python is case-sensitive, you can modify any of these words by changing
the case of any letter, thus creating a new word, which is not reserved anymore.

For example - you can't name your variable like this:

import

You mustn't have a variable named in such a way - it is prohibited. But you can do this instead:

Import

These words might be a mystery to you now, but you'll soon learn the meaning of them.

Creating variables
What can you put inside a variable?

Anything.

You can use a variable to store any value of any of the already presented kinds, and many
more of the ones we haven't shown you yet.

The value of a variable is what you have put into it. It can vary as often as you need or want.
It can be an integer one moment, and a float a moment later, eventually becoming a string.

Let's talk now about two important things - how variables are created, and how to put
values inside them (or rather - how to give or pass values to them).

REMEMBER

A variable comes into existence as a result of assigning a value to it. Unlike in other
languages, you don't need to declare it in any special way.

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If you assign any value to a nonexistent variable, the variable will be automatically
created. You don't need to do anything else.

The creation (or otherwise - its syntax) is extremely simple: just use the name of the
desired variable, then the equal sign (=) and the value you want to put into the
variable.

Take a look at the snippet:

var = 1
print (var)

It consists of two simple instructions:

 The first of them creates a variable named  var , and assigns a literal with an integer
value equal to  1 .
 The second prints the value of the newly created variable to the console.

Note:  print()  has yet another side to it - it can handle variables too. Do you know what the
output of the snippet will be?

Check

Using variables
You're allowed to use as many variable declarations as you need to achieve your goal, like this:

var = 1
account_balance = 1000.0
client_name = 'John Doe'
print (var, account_balance, client_name)
print (var)

You're not allowed to use a variable which doesn't exist (in other words, a variable that was not assigned
a value).

This example will cause an error:

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var = 1
print(Var)

We've tried to use a variable named  Var , which doesn't have any value (note:  var  and  Var  are different
entities, and have nothing in common as far as Python's concerned).

REMEMBER

You can use the  print()  function and combine text and variables using the  +  operator to output strings
and variables, e.g.:

var = "3.8.5"
print("Python version: " + var)

Can you guess the output of the snippet above?

Check

Python version: 3.8.5

Assigning a new value to an already existing variable

How do you assign a new value to an already created variable? In the same way. You just need to use the
equal sign.

The equal sign is in fact an assignment operator. Although this may sound strange, the operator has a
simple syntax and unambiguous interpretation.

It assigns the value of its right argument to the left, while the right argument may be an arbitrarily complex
expression involving literals, operators and already defined variables.

Look at the code below:

var = 1
print (var)
var = var + 1
print (var)

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The code sends two lines to the console:

1
2

output

The first line of the snippet creates a new variable named  var  and assigns  1  to it.

The statement reads: assign a value of  1  to a variable named  var .

We can say it shorter: assign  1  to  var .

Some prefer to read such a statement as:  var  becomes  1 .

The third line assigns the same variable with the new value taken from the variable itself, summed
with  1 . Seeing a record like that, a mathematician would probably protest - no value may be equal to itself
plus one. This is a contradiction. But Python treats the sign  =  not as equal to, but as assign a value.

So how do you read such a record in the program?

Take the current value of the variable  var , add  1  to it and store the result in the variable  var .

In effect, the value of variable  var  has been incremented by one, which has nothing to do with
comparing the variable with any value.

Do you know what the output of the following snippet will be?

var = 100
var = 200 + 300
print (var)

Check

500  - why? Well, first, the  var  variable is created and assigned a value of 100. Then, the same variable is
assigned a new value: the result of adding 200 to 300, which is 500.

Solving simple mathematical problems

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Now you should be able to construct a short program solving simple mathematical
problems such as the Pythagorean theorem:

The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

The following code evaluates the length of the hypotenuse (i.e., the longest side of a right-
angled triangle, the one opposite of the right angle) using the Pythagorean theorem:

a = 3.0
b = 4.0
c = (a ** 2 + b ** 2) ** 0.5
print ("c =", c)

Note: we need to make use of the  **  operator to evaluate the square root as:

√ (x)  = x(½)
and

c = √ a2 + b2 
Can you guess the output of the code?

Check below and run the code in the editor to confirm your predictions.

Check

c = 5.0

Estimated time
10 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the concept of storing and working with different data types
in Python;
 experimenting with Python code.

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Scenario
Here is a short story:

Once upon a time in Appleland, John had three apples, Mary had five apples, and Adam had
six apples. They were all very happy and lived for a long time. End of story.

Your task is to:

 create the variables:  john ,  mary , and  adam ;

 assign values to the variables. The values must be equal to the numbers of fruit
possessed by John, Mary, and Adam respectively;
 having stored the numbers in the variables, print the variables on one line, and
separate each of them with a comma;
 now create a new variable named  total_apples  equal to addition of the three
former variables.
 print the value stored in  total_apples  to the console;
 experiment with your code: create new variables, assign different values to them,
and perform various arithmetic operations on them (e.g., +, -, *, /, //, etc.). Try to print
a string and an integer together on one line, e.g.,  "Total number of
apples:"  and  total_apples .
john = 13
mary = 14
adam = 17
total_apples = john + mary + adam
print(total_apples)
average_apple_person = total_apples // 3
print(average_apple_person)
left_over_apple = total_apples % 3
print(left_over_apple)
44
14
2

Shortcut operators
It's time for the next set of operators that make a developer's life easier.

Very often, we want to use one and the same variable both to the right and left sides of the  =  operator.

For example, if we need to calculate a series of successive values of powers of 2, we may use a piece like
this:

x = x * 2

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You may use an expression like this if you can't fall asleep and you're trying to deal with it using some
good, old-fashioned methods:

sheep = sheep + 1

Python offers you a shortened way of writing operations like these, which can be coded as follows:

x *= 2
sheep += 1

Let's try to present a general description for these operations.

If  op  is a two-argument operator (this is a very important condition) and the operator is used in the
following context:

variable = variable op expression

It can be simplified and shown as follows:

variable op= expression

Take a look at the examples below. Make sure you understand them all.

i = i + 2 * j  ⇒  i += 2 * j

var = var / 2  ⇒  var /= 2

rem = rem % 10  ⇒  rem %= 10

j = j - (i + var + rem)  ⇒  j -= (i + var + rem)

x = x ** 2  ⇒  x **= 2

LAB

Estimated time
10 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

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Objectives
 becoming familiar with the concept of, and working with, variables;
 performing basic computations and conversions;
 experimenting with Python code.

Scenario
Miles and kilometers are units of length or distance.

Bearing in mind that  1  mile is equal to approximately  1.61  kilometers, complete the
program in the editor so that it converts:

 miles to kilometers;
 kilometers to miles.

Do not change anything in the existing code. Write your code in the places indicated by  ### .
Test your program with the data we've provided in the source code.

Pay particular attention to what is going on inside the  print()  function. Analyze how we
provide multiple arguments to the function, and how we output the expected data.

Note that some of the arguments inside the  print()  function are strings (e.g.,  "miles is" ,
whereas some other are variables (e.g.,  miles ).

TIP

There's one more interesting thing happening there. Can you see another function inside
the  print()  function? It's the  round()  function. Its job is to round the outputted result to
the number of decimal places specified in the parentheses, and return a float (inside
the  round()  function you can find the variable name, a comma, and the number of decimal
places we're aiming for). We're going to talk about functions very soon, so don't worry that
everything may not be fully clear yet. We just want to spark your curiosity.

After completing the lab, open Sandbox, and experiment more. Try to write different
converters, e.g., a USD to EUR converter, a temperature converter, etc. - let your imagination
fly! Try to output the results by combining strings and variables. Try to use and experiment
with the  round()  function to round your results to one, two, or three decimal places. Check
out what happens if you don't provide any number of digits. Remember to test your
programs.

Experiment, draw conclusions, and learn. Be curious.

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Expected output
7.38 miles is 11.88 kilometers
12.25 kilometers is 7.61 miles


kilometers = 12.25
miles = 7.38
miles_to_kilometers = miles * 1.61
kilometers_to_miles = kilometers / 1.61
print(miles, "miles is", round(miles_to_kilometers, 2), "kilometers")
print(kilometers, "kilometers is", round(kilometers_to_miles, 2),
"miles")

 Console 
7.38 miles is 11.88 kilometers
12.25 kilometers is 7.61 miles

LAB

Estimated time
10-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the concept of numbers, operators, and arithmetic
operations in Python;
 performing basic calculations.

Scenario
Take a look at the code in the editor: it reads a  float  value, puts it into a variable named  x ,
and prints the value of a variable named  y . Your task is to complete the code in order to
evaluate the following expression:

3x3 - 2x2 + 3x - 1

The result should be assigned to  y .

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Remember that classical algebraic notation likes to omit the multiplication operator - you
need to use it explicitly. Note how we change data type to make sure that  x  is of
type  float .

Keep your code clean and readable, and test it using the data we've provided, each time
assigning it to the  x  variable (by hardcoding it). Don't be discouraged by any initial failures.
Be persistent and inquisitive.

Test Data
Sample input

x = 0
x = 1
x = -1

Expected Output

y = -1.0
y = 3.0
y = -9.0

output

x = -1
x = float(x)
y = 3*(x**3)-2*(x**2)+3*x-1
print("y =", y)

y = -1.0
y = 3.0
y = -9.0

Key takeaways

1. A variable is a named location reserved to store values in the memory. A variable is created or
initialized automatically when you assign a value to it for the first time. (2.1.4.1)

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2. Each variable must have a unique name - an identifier. A legal identifier name must be a non-empty
sequence of characters, must begin with the underscore( _ ), or a letter, and it cannot be a Python keyword.
The first character may be followed by underscores, letters, and digits. Identifiers in Python are case-
sensitive. (2.1.4.1)

3. Python is a dynamically-typed language, which means you don't need to declare variables in it.

(2.1.4.3) To assign values to variables, you can use a simple assignment operator in the form of the equal
( = ) sign, i.e.,  var = 1 .

4. You can also use compound assignment operators (shortcut operators) to modify values assigned to
variables, e.g.,  var += 1 , or  var /= 5 * 2 . (2.1.4.8)

5. You can assign new values to already existing variables using the assignment operator or one of the
compound operators, e.g.: (2.1.4.5)

var = 2
print (var)

var = 3
print (var)

var += 1
print (var)

6. You can combine text and variables using the  +  operator, and use the  print()  function to output
strings and variables, e.g.: (2.1.4.4)

var = "007"
print ("Agent " + var)

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

var = 2
var = 3
print (var)

Check

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Exercise 2

Which of the following variable names are illegal in Python?

my_var
m
101
averylongvariablename
m101
m 101
Del
del
Check

my_var

101 # incorrect (starts with a digit)

averylongvariablename

m101

m 101 # incorrect (contains a space)

Del

del # incorrect (is a keyword)

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

a = '1'
b = "1"
print (a + b)

Check

11

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Exercise 4

What is the output of the following snippet?

a = 6
b = 3
a /= 2 * b
print (a)

Check

1.0
2*b=6
a = 6 → 6 / 6 = 1.0

Leaving comments in code: why, how, and when

You may want to put in a few words addressed not to Python but to humans, usually to explain to other
readers of the code how the tricks used in the code work, or the meanings of the variables, and eventually,
in order to keep stored information on who the author is and when the program was written.

A remark inserted into the program, which is omitted at runtime, is called a comment.

How do you leave this kind of comment in the source code? It has to be done in a way that won't force
Python to interpret it as part of the code.

Whenever Python encounters a comment in your program, the comment is completely transparent to it -
from Python's point of view, this is only one space (regardless of how long the real comment is).

In Python, a comment is a piece of text that begins with a  #  (hash) sign and extends to the end of the line.

If you want a comment that spans several lines, you have to put a hash in front of them all.

Just like here:

# This program evaluates the hypotenuse c.

# a and b are the lengths of the legs.
a = 3.0
b = 4.0
c = (a ** 2 + b ** 2) ** 0.5 # We use ** instead of square root.
print ("c =", c)

Good, responsible developers describe each important piece of code, e.g., explaining the role of the
variables; although it must be stated that the best way of commenting variables is to name them in an
unambiguous manner.

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For example, if a particular variable is designed to store an area of some unique square, the
name  square_area  will obviously be better than  aunt_jane .

We say that the first name is self-commenting.

Comments may be useful in another respect - you can use them to mark a piece of code that currently
isn't needed for whatever reason. Look at the example below, if you uncomment the highlighted line, this
will affect the output of the code:

# This is a test program.

x = 1
y = 2
# y = y + x
print(x + y)

This is often done during the testing of a program, in order to isolate the place where an error might be
hidden.

TIP

If you'd like to quickly comment or uncomment multiple lines of code, select the line(s) you wish to
modify and use the following keyboard shortcut: CTRL + / (Windows) or CMD + / (Mac OS). It's a very
useful trick, isn't it? Try this code in Sandbox.

Estimated time
5 minutes

Level of difficulty
Very Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the concept of comments in Python;
 using and not using comments;
 replacing comments with code;
 experimenting with Python code.

Scenario
The code in the editor contains comments. Try to improve it: add or remove comments
where you find it appropriate (yes, sometimes removing a comment can make the code

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more readable), and change variable names where you think this will improve code
comprehension.

NOTE

Comments are very important. They are used not only to make your programs easier to
understand, but also to disable those pieces of code that are currently not
needed (e.g., when you need to test some parts of your code only, and ignore other). Good
programmers describe each important piece of code, and give self-commenting names to
variables, as sometimes it is simply much better to leave information in the code.

It's good to use readable variable names, and sometimes it's better to divide your
code into named pieces (e.g., functions). In some situations, it's a good idea to write the
steps of computations in a clearer way.

One more thing: it may happen that a comment contains a wrong or incorrect piece of
information - you should never do that on purpose!

#this program computes the number of seconds in a given number of hours

# this program has been written two days ago

a = 2 # number of hours
seconds = 3600 # number of seconds in 1 hour

print("Hours: ", a) #printing the number of hours

print("Seconds in Hours: ", a * seconds) # printing the number of seconds in a given number
of hours

#here we should also print "Goodbye", but a programmer didn't have time to write any code
#this is the end of the program that computes the number of seconds in 3 hour

 Console 


Hours: 2
Seconds in Hours: 7200

Key takeaways

1. Comments can be used to leave additional information in code. They are omitted at runtime. The
information left in source code is addressed to human readers. In Python, a comment is a piece of text that
begins with  # . The comment extends to the end of line.

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2. If you want to place a comment that spans several lines, you need to place  #  in front of them all.
Moreover, you can use a comment to mark a piece of code that is not needed at the moment (see the last
line of the snippet below), e.g.:

# This program prints

# an introduction to the screen.
print("Hello!") # Invoking the print() function
# print("I'm Python.")

3. Whenever possible and justified, you should give self-commenting names to variables, e.g., if you're
using two variables to store a length and width of something, the variable names  length  and  width  may
be a better choice than  myvar1  and  myvar2 .

4. It's important to use comments to make programs easier to understand, and to use readable and
meaningful variable names in code. However, it's equally important not to use variable names that are
confusing, or leave comments that contain wrong or incorrect information!

5. Comments can be important when you are reading your own code after some time (trust us, developers
do forget what their own code does), and when others are reading your code (can help them understand
what your programs do and how they do it more quickly).

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

# print("String #1")
print("String #2")

Check

String #2

Exercise 2

What will happen when you run the following code?

# This is
a multiline
comment. #

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print("Hello!")

Check

SyntaxError: invalid syntax

The input() function
We're now going to introduce you to a completely new function, which seems to be a mirror reflection of
the good old  print()  function.

Why? Well,  print()  sends data to the console.

The new function gets data from it.

print()  has no usable result. The meaning of the new function is to return a very usable result.

The function is named  input() . The name of the function says everything.

The  input()  function is able to read data entered by the user and to return the same data to the running
program.

The program can manipulate the data, making the code truly interactive.

Virtually all programs read and process data. A program which doesn't get a user's input is a deaf
program.

Take a look at our example:

print ("Tell me anything...")

anything = input()
print ("Hmm...", anything, "... Really?")

It shows a very simple case of using the  input()  function.

Note:

 The program prompts the user to input some data from the console (most likely using a
keyboard, although it is also possible to input data using voice or image);
 the  input()  function is invoked without arguments (this is the simplest way of using the
function); the function will switch the console to input mode; you'll see a blinking cursor, and
you'll be able to input some keystrokes, finishing off by hitting the Enter key; all the inputted data
will be sent to your program through the function's result;
 note: you need to assign the result to a variable; this is crucial - missing out this step will cause the
entered data to be lost;

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  then we use the  print()  function to output the data we get, with some additional remarks.

Try to run the code and let the function show you what it can do for you.

The input() function with an argument

The  input()  function can do something else: it can prompt the user without any help from  print() .

We've modified our example a bit, look at the code:

anything = input("Tell me anything...")

print("Hmm...", anything, "...Really?")

Note:

 the  input()  function is invoked with one argument - it's a string containing a message;
 the message will be displayed on the console before the user is given an opportunity to enter
anything;
 input()  will then do its job.

This variant of the  input()  invocation simplifies the code and makes it clearer.

The result of the input() function

We've said it already, but it must be unambiguously stated once again: the result of
the  input()  function is a string.

A string containing all the characters the user enters from the keyboard. It is not an integer or a float.

This means that you mustn't use it as an argument of any arithmetic operation, e.g., you can't use this
data to square it, divide it by anything, or divide anything by it.

anything = input("Enter a number: ")

something = anything ** 2.0
print(anything, "to the power of 2 is", something)

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The input() function - prohibited operations
Look at the code in the editor. Run it, enter any number, and press Enter.

What happens?

Python should have given you the following output:

Traceback (most recent call last):

File ".main.py", line 4, in <module>
something = anything ** 2.0
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ** or pow(): 'str' and
'float'

output

The last line of the sentence explains everything - you tried to apply the  **  operator
to  'str'  (string) accompanied with  'float' .

This is prohibited.

This should be obvious - can you predict the value of  "to be or not to be"  raised to the
power of  2 ?

We can't. Python can't either.

Have we fallen into a deadlock? Is there a solution to this issue? Of course there is.

# Testing TypeError message.

anything = input("Enter a number: ")

something = anything ** 2.0
print(anything, "to the power of 2 is", something)

Enter a number: 10
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "main.py", line 4, in <module>
something = anything ** 2.0
TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for ** or pow(): 'str' and 'float'

Type casting

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Python offers two simple functions to specify a type of data and solve this problem - here
they are:  int()  and  float() .

Their names are self-commenting:

 the  int()  function takes one argument (e.g., a string:  int(string) ) and tries to

convert it into an integer; if it fails, the whole program will fail too (there is a
workaround for this situation, but we'll show you this a little later);
 the  float()  function takes one argument (e.g., a string:  float(string) ) and tries
to convert it into a float (the rest is the same).

This is very simple and very effective. Moreover, you can invoke any of the functions by
passing the  input()  results directly to them. There's no need to use any variable as an
intermediate storage.

We've implemented the idea in the editor - take a look at the code.

Can you imagine how the string entered by the user flows from  input()  into  print() ?

Try to run the modified code. Don't forget to enter a valid number.

Check some different values, small and big, negative and positive. Zero is a good input, too.

anything = float(input("Enter a number: "))

something = anything ** 2.0
print(anything, "to the power of 2 is", something)

Enter a number: 10
10.0 to the power of 2 is 100.0

More about input() and type casting

Having a team consisting of the trio  input() - int() - float()  opens up lots of new possibilities.

You'll eventually be able to write complete programs, accepting data in the form of numbers, processing
them and displaying the results.

Of course, these programs will be very primitive and not very usable, as they cannot make decisions, and
consequently are not able to react differently to different situations.

This is not really a problem, though; we'll show you how to overcome it soon.

Our next example refers to the earlier program to find the length of a hypotenuse. Let's rewrite it and make
it able to read the lengths of the legs from the console.

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Check out the editor window - this is how it looks now.

The program asks the user twice for both legs' lengths, evaluates the hypotenuse and prints the result.

Run it and try to input some negative values.

The program - unfortunately - doesn't react to this obvious error.

Let's ignore this weakness for now. We'll come back to it soon.

Note that in the program that you can see in the editor, the  hypo  variable is used for only one purpose - to
save the calculated value between the execution of the adjoining line of code.

As the  print()  function accepts an expression as its argument, you can remove the variable from the
code.

Just like this:

leg_a = float(input("Input first leg length: "))

leg_b = float(input("Input second leg length: "))
print ("Hypotenuse length is", (leg_a**2 + leg_b**2) ** .5)

 







   Sandbox

Code
leg_a = float(input("Input first leg length: "))
leg_b = float(input("Input second leg length: "))
hypo = (leg_a**2 + leg_b**2) ** .5
print("Hypotenuse length is", hypo)

1
2
3
4
5
leg_a = float(input("Input first leg length: "))
leg_b = float(input("Input second leg length: "))
hypo = (leg_a**2 + leg_b**2) ** .5
print("Hypotenuse length is", hypo)

 Console 

Input first leg length: 12

Input second leg length: 23
Hypotenuse length is 25.942243542145693

String operators - introduction

It's time to return to these two arithmetic operators:  +  and  * .

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We want to show you that they have a second function. They are able to do something more
than just add and multiply.

We've seen them in action where their arguments are numbers (floats or integers, it doesn't
matter).

Now we're going to show you that they can handle strings, too, albeit in a very specific way.

Concatenation
The  +  (plus) sign, when applied to two strings, becomes a concatenation operator:

string + string

It simply concatenates (glues) two strings into one. Of course, like its arithmetic sibling, it
can be used more than once in one expression, and in such a context it behaves according
to left-sided binding.

In contrast to its arithmetic sibling, the concatenation operator is not commutative,

i.e.,  "ab" + "ba"  is not the same as  "ba" + "ab" .

Don't forget - if you want the  +  sign to be a concatenator, not an adder, you must ensure
that both its arguments are strings.

You cannot mix types here.

This simple program shows the  +  sign in its second use:

fnam = input("May I have your first name, please? ")

lnam = input("May I have your last name, please? ")
print ("Thank you.")
print ("\nYour name is " + fnam + " " + lnam + ".")

Note: using  +  to concatenate strings lets you construct the output in a more precise way
than with a pure  print()  function, even if enriched with the  end=  and  sep=  keyword
arguments.

Run the code and see if the output matches your predictions.

fnam = input("May I have your first name, please? ")

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lnam = input("May I have your last name, please? ")
print("Thank you.")
print("\nYour name is " + fnam + " " + lnam + ".",end="&",sep="--")

May I have your first name, please? Siva

May I have your last name, please? Raman
Thank you.

Your name is Siva Raman.&

Replication
The  *  (asterisk) sign, when applied to a string and number (or a number and string, as it
remains commutative in this position) becomes a replication operator:

string * number
number * string

It replicates the string the same number of times specified by the number.

For example:

 "James" * 3  gives  "JamesJamesJames"

 3 * "an"  gives  "ananan"
 5 * "2"  (or  "2" * 5 ) gives  "22222"  (not  10 !)

REMEMBER

A number less than or equal to zero produces an empty string.

This simple program "draws" a rectangle, making use of an old operator ( + ) in a new role:

print ("+" + 10 * "-" + "+")

print (("|" + " " * 10 + "|\n") * 5, end="")
print ("+" + 10 * "-" + "+")

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Note the way in which we've used the parentheses in the second line of the code.

Try practicing to create other shapes or your own artwork!

+----------+
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
+----------+

Type conversion: str()
You already know how to use the  int()  and  float()  functions to convert a string into a
number.

This type of conversion is not a one-way street. You can also convert a number into a
string, which is way easier and safer - this operation is always possible.

A function capable of doing that is called  str() :

str (number)

To be honest, it can do much more than just transform numbers into strings, but that can
wait for later.

The "right-angle triangle" again

Here is our "right-angle triangle" program again:

leg_a = float(input("Input first leg length: "))

leg_b = float(input("Input second leg length: "))
print("Hypotenuse length is " + str((leg_a**2 + leg_b**2) ** .5))

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We've modified it a bit to show you how the  str()  function works. Thanks to this, we
can pass the whole result to the  print()  function as one string, forgetting about the
commas.

You've made some serious strides on your way to Python programming.

You already know the basic data types, and a set of fundamental operators. You know how
to organize the output and how to get data from the user. These are very strong
foundations for Module 3. But before we move on to the next module, let's do a few labs,
and recap all that you've learned in this section.

leg_a = float(input("Input first leg length: "))

leg_b = float(input("Input second leg length: "))
print("Hypotenuse length is " + str((leg_a**2 + leg_b**2) ** .5))

Input first leg length: 10

Input second leg length: 20
Hypotenuse length is 22.360679774997898

Estimated time
5-10 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the inputting and outputting of data in Python;
 evaluating simple expressions.

Scenario
Your task is to complete the code in order to evaluate the results of four basic arithmetic
operations.

The results have to be printed to the console.

You may not be able to protect the code from a user who wants to divide by zero. That's
okay, don't worry about it for now.

Test your code - does it produce the results you expect?

We won't show you any test data - that would be too simple.

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x = int(input("Enter the 1st number: \t"))
y = int(input("Enter the 2nd number: \t"))

print(x+y)
print(x-y)
print(x*y)
print(x/y)
print(x**y)
print(x%y)

print("\nThat's all, folks!")

Enter the 1st number: 10

Enter the 2nd number: 12
22
-2
120
0.8333333333333334
1000000000000
10

That's all, folks!

Estimated time
20 minutes

Level of difficulty
Intermediate

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the concept of numbers, operators and arithmetic operations
in Python;
 understanding the precedence and associativity of Python operators, as well as the
proper use of parentheses.

Scenario
Your task is to complete the code in order to evaluate the following expression:

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The result should be assigned to  y . Be careful - watch the operators and keep their priorities
in mind. Don't hesitate to use as many parentheses as you need.

You can use additional variables to shorten the expression (but it's not necessary). Test your
code carefully.

Test Data
Sample input:  1

Expected output:

y = 0.6000000000000001

Sample input:  10

Expected output:

y = 0.09901951266867294

Sample input:  100

Expected output:

y = 0.009999000199950014

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Sample input:  -5

Expected output:

y = -0.19258202567760344

x = float(input("Enter value for x: "))

y1 = 1/x+1/x+1/x+1/x
y2 = 1/(x+(1/(x+(1/(x+(1/x))))))

print("y =", y1," ",y2)

Enter value for x: 2

y = 2.0 0.4137931034482759
Enter value for x: 10
y = 0.4 0.09901951266867294

Estimated time
15-20 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 improving the ability to use numbers, operators, and arithmetic operations in
Python;
 using the  print()  function's formatting capabilities;
 learning to express everyday-life phenomena in terms of programming language.

Scenario
Your task is to prepare a simple code able to evaluate the end time of a period of time,
given as a number of minutes (it could be arbitrarily large). The start time is given as a pair
of hours (0..23) and minutes (0..59). The result has to be printed to the console.

For example, if an event starts at 12:17 and lasts 59 minutes, it will end at 13:16.

Don't worry about any imperfections in your code - it's okay if it accepts an invalid time - the
most important thing is that the code produce valid results for valid input data.

Test your code carefully. Hint: using the  %  operator may be the key to success.

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Test Data
Sample input:12

17

59

Expected output:  13:16

Sample input:23

58

642

Expected output:  10:40

Sample input:0

2939

Expected output:  1:0

hour = int(input("Starting time (hours): "))

mins = int(input("Starting time (minutes): "))
dura = int(input("Event duration (minutes): "))

dura_hr = dura // 60
dura_min = dura % 60
end_min = mins + dura_min
end_hour = hour+(end_min//60)
end_min %= 60
print(end_hour,":",end_min)

Starting time (hours): 12

Starting time (minutes): 17
Event duration (minutes): 59
13 : 16

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Key takeaways

1. The  print()  function sends data to the console, while the  input()  function gets data
from the console.

2. The  input()  function comes with an optional parameter: the prompt string. It allows
you to write a message before the user input, e.g.:

name = input("Enter your name: ")

print("Hello, " + name + ". Nice to meet you!")

3. When the  input()  function is called, the program's flow is stopped, the prompt symbol
keeps blinking (it prompts the user to take action when the console is switched to input
mode) until the user has entered an input and/or pressed the Enter key.

NOTE

You can test the functionality of the  input()  function in its full scope locally on your
machine. For resource optimization reasons, we have limited the maximum program
execution time in Edube to a few seconds. Go to Sandbox, copy-paste the above snippet,
run the program, and do nothing - just wait a few seconds to see what happens. Your
program should be stopped automatically after a short moment. Now open IDLE, and run
the same program there - can you see the difference?

Tip: the above-mentioned feature of the  input()  function can be used to prompt the user
to end a program. Look at the code below:

name = input("Enter your name: ")

print ("Hello, " + name + ". Nice to meet you!")

print ("\nPress Enter to end the program.")

input ()
print ("THE END.")

3. The result of the  input()  function is a string. You can add strings to each other using the
concatenation ( + ) operator. Check out this code:

num_1 = input("Enter the first number: ") # Enter 12

num_2 = input("Enter the second number: ") # Enter 21

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print (num_1 + num_2) # the program returns 1221

4. You can also multiply ( *  - replication) strings, e.g.:

my_input = input("Enter something: ") # Example input: hello

print (my_input * 3) # Expected output: hellohellohello

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

x = int(input("Enter a number: ")) # The user enters 2

print (x * "5")

Check

55

Exercise 2

What is the expected output of the following snippet?

x = input("Enter a number: ") # The user enters 2

print (type(x))

Check

<class 'str'>

>>> 1/2+3//3+4**2
17.5
>>> 3//17
0
>>> 0.5+3//3+4**2
17.5
>>> 3.5//3
1.0
>>> 3.5//3+4**2

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17.0
>>> 3//3
1
>>>

1st division of ½ then floor divison of 3//3 and then root multiplication of 4 and 2
Then add all 3. Ans is 17.5

Python Essentials 1:
Module 3
Boolean Values, Conditional Execution, Loops, Lists and List Processing, Logical and
Bitwise Operations

In this module, you will cover the following topics:

 the Boolean data type;

 relational operators;
 making decisions in Python (if, if-else, if-elif,else)
 how to repeat code execution using loops (while, for)
 how to perform logic and bitwise operations in Python;
 lists in Python (constructing, indexing, and slicing; content manipulation)
 how to sort a list using bubble-sort algorithms;
 multidimensional lists and their applications.

Questions and answers

A programmer writes a program and the program asks questions.

A computer executes the program and provides the answers. The program must be able to react
according to the received answers.

Fortunately, computers know only two kinds of answers:

 yes, this is true;

 no, this is false.

You will never get a response like Let me think...., I don't know, or Probably yes, but I don't know for sure.

To ask questions, Python uses a set of very special operators. Let's go through them one after another,
illustrating their effects on some simple examples.

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Comparison: equality operator
Question: are two values equal?

To ask this question, you use the  ==  (equal equal) operator.

Don't forget this important distinction:

 =  is an assignment operator, e.g.,  a = b  assigns  a  with the value of  b ;

 ==  is the question are these values equal?;  a == b  compares  a  and  b .

It is a binary operator with left-sided binding. It needs two arguments and checks if they are equal.

Exercises
Now let's ask a few questions. Try to guess the answers.

Question #1: What is the result of the following comparison?

2 == 2     Check

True  - of course, 2 is equal to 2. Python will answer  True  (remember this pair of predefined
literals,  True  and  False  - they're Python keywords, too).

Question #2: What is the result of the following comparison?

2 == 2.     Check

This question is not as easy as the first one. Luckily, Python is able to convert the integer value into its real
equivalent, and consequently, the answer is  True .

Question #3: What is the result of the following comparison?

1 == 2     Check

This should be easy. The answer will be (or rather, always is)  False .

Equality: the equal to operator (==)

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The  ==  (equal to) operator compares the values of two operands. If they are equal, the
result of the comparison is  True . If they are not equal, the result of the comparison
is  False .

Look at the equality comparison below - what is the result of this operation?

var == 0

Note that we cannot find the answer if we do not know what value is currently stored in the
variable  var .

If the variable has been changed many times during the execution of your program, or its
initial value is entered from the console, the answer to this question can be given only by
Python and only at runtime.

Now imagine a programmer who suffers from insomnia, and has to count black and white
sheep separately as long as there are exactly twice as many black sheep as white ones.

The question will be as follows:

black_sheep == 2 * white_sheep

Due to the low priority of the  ==  operator, the question shall be treated as equivalent to this
one:

black_sheep == (2 * white_sheep)

So, let's practice your understanding of the  ==  operator now - can you guess the output of
the code below?

var = 0 # Assigning 0 to var

print(var == 0)

var = 1 # Assigning 1 to var

print(var == 0)

Run the code and check if you were right.

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Inequality: the not equal to operator (!=)
The  !=  (not equal to) operator compares the values of two operands, too. Here is the
difference: if they are equal, the result of the comparison is  False . If they are not equal, the
result of the comparison is  True .

Now take a look at the inequality comparison below - can you guess the result of this
operation?

var = 0 # Assigning 0 to var

print(var != 0)

var = 1 # Assigning 1 to var

print(var != 0)

Run the code and check if you were right.

black_sheep = 4
white_sheep = 2
print(black_sheep == 2 * white_sheep)
True

Comparison operators: greater than

You can also ask a comparison question using the  >  (greater than) operator.

If you want to know if there are more black sheep than white ones, you can write it as follows:

black_sheep > white_sheep # Greater than

True  confirms it;  False  denies it.

Comparison operators: greater than or equal to

The greater than operator has another special, non-strict variant, but it's denoted differently than in
classical arithmetic notation:  >=  (greater than or equal to).

There are two subsequent signs, not one.

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Both of these operators (strict and non-strict), as well as the two others discussed in the next section,
are binary operators with left-sided binding, and their priority is greater than that shown
by  ==  and  != .

If we want to find out whether or not we have to wear a warm hat, we ask the following question:

centigrade_outside ≥ 0.0 # Greater than or equal to

Comparison operators: less than or equal to

As you've probably already guessed, the operators used in this case are: the  <  (less than) operator and its
non-strict sibling:  <=  (less than or equal to).

Look at this simple example:

current_velocity_mph < 85 # Less than

current_velocity_mph ≤ 85 # Less than or equal to

We're going to check if there's a risk of being fined by the highway police (the first question is strict, the
second isn't).

Making use of the answers

What can you do with the answer (i.e., the result of a comparison operation) you get from the computer?

There are at least two possibilities: first, you can memorize it (store it in a variable) and make use of it
later. How do you do that? Well, you would use an arbitrary variable like this:

answer = number_of_lions >= number_of_lionesses

The content of the variable will tell you the answer to the question asked.

The second possibility is more convenient and far more common: you can use the answer you get to make
a decision about the future of the program.

You need a special instruction for this purpose, and we'll discuss it very soon.

Now we need to update our priority table, and put all the new operators into it. It now looks as follows:

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Priority Operator
1 + ,  - unary
2 **
3 * ,  / ,  // ,  %
4 + ,  - binary
5 < ,  <= ,  > ,  >=
6 == ,  !=

Estimated time
5-10 minutes

Level of difficulty
Very Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the the  input()  function;
 becoming familiar with comparison operators in Python.

Scenario
Using one of the comparison operators in Python, write a simple two-line program that
takes the parameter  n  as input, which is an integer, and prints  False  if  n  is less than  100 ,
and  True  if  n  is greater than or equal to  100 .

Don't create any  if  blocks (we're going to talk about them very soon). Test your code using
the data we've provided for you.

Test Data

Sample input:  55

Expected output:  False

Sample input:  99

Expected output:  False

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Sample input:  100

Expected output:  True

Sample input:  101

Expected output:  True

Sample input:  -5

Expected output:  False

Sample input:  +123

Expected output:  True

Conditions and conditional execution

You already know how to ask Python questions, but you still don't know how to make reasonable use of
the answers. You have to have a mechanism which will allow you to do something if a condition is met,
and not do it if it isn't.

It's just like in real life: you do certain things or you don't when a specific condition is met or not, e.g., you
go for a walk if the weather is good, or stay home if it's wet and cold.

To make such decisions, Python offers a special instruction. Due to its nature and its application, it's called
a conditional instruction (or conditional statement).

There are several variants of it. We'll start with the simplest, increasing the difficulty slowly.

The first form of a conditional statement, which you can see below is written very informally but
figuratively:

if true_or_not:
do_this_if_true

This conditional statement consists of the following, strictly necessary, elements in this and this order only:

 the  if  keyword;

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  one or more white spaces;
 an expression (a question or an answer) whose value will be interpreted solely in terms
of  True  (when its value is non-zero) and  False  (when it is equal to zero);
 a colon followed by a newline;
 an indented instruction or set of instructions (at least one instruction is absolutely required);
the indentation may be achieved in two ways - by inserting a particular number of spaces (the
recommendation is to use four spaces of indentation), or by using the tab character; note: if there
is more than one instruction in the indented part, the indentation should be the same in all lines;
even though it may look the same if you use tabs mixed with spaces, it's important to make all
indentations exactly the same - Python 3 does not allow mixing spaces and tabs for indentation.

How does that statement work?

 If the  true_or_not  expression represents the truth (i.e., its value is not equal to zero), the
indented statement(s) will be executed;
 if the true_or_not expression does not represent the truth (i.e., its value is equal to zero), the
indented statement(s) will be omitted (ignored), and the next executed instruction will be the
one after the original indentation level.

In real life, we often express a desire:

if the weather is good, we'll go for a walk

then, we'll have lunch

As you can see, having lunch is not a conditional activity and doesn't depend on the weather.

Knowing what conditions influence our behavior, and assuming that we have the parameterless
functions  go_for_a_walk()  and  have_lunch() , we can write the following snippet:

if the_weather_is_good:
go_for_a_walk()
have_lunch()

The if-else statement: more conditional execution

By using this form of conditional statement, we can describe our plans as follows:

if the_weather_is_good:
go_for_a_walk()
else:
go_to_a_theater()

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have_lunch()

If the weather is good, we'll go for a walk. Otherwise, we'll go to a theatre. No matter if the weather is
good or bad, we'll have lunch afterwards (after the walk or after going to the theatre).

Everything we've said about indentation works in the same manner inside the else branch:

if the_weather_is_good:
go_for_a_walk()
have_fun()
else:
go_to_a_theater()
enjoy_the_movie()
have_lunch()

Nested if-else statements
Now let's discuss two special cases of the conditional statement.

First, consider the case where the instruction placed after the  if  is another  if .

Read what we have planned for this Sunday. If the weather is fine, we'll go for a walk. If we find a nice
restaurant, we'll have lunch there. Otherwise, we'll eat a sandwich. If the weather is poor, we'll go to the
theater. If there are no tickets, we'll go shopping in the nearest mall.

Let's write the same in Python. Consider carefully the code here:

if the_weather_is_good:
if nice_restaurant_is_found:
have_lunch()
else:
eat_a_sandwich()
else:
if tickets_are_available:
go_to_the_theater()
else:
go_shopping()

Here are two important points:

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  this use of the  if  statement is known as nesting; remember that every  else  refers to
the  if  which lies at the same indentation level; you need to know this to determine how the ifs
and elses pair up;
 consider how the indentation improves readability, and makes the code easier to understand and
trace.

The elif statement
The second special case introduces another new Python keyword: elif. As you probably suspect, it's a
shorter form of else if.

elif  is used to check more than just one condition, and to stop when the first statement which is true is
found.

Our next example resembles nesting, but the similarities are very slight. Again, we'll change our plans and
express them as follows: If the weather is fine, we'll go for a walk, otherwise if we get tickets, we'll go to
the theater, otherwise if there are free tables at the restaurant, we'll go for lunch; if all else fails, we'll return
home and play chess.

Have you noticed how many times we've used the word otherwise? This is the stage where
the  elif  keyword plays its role.

Let's write the same scenario using Python:

if the_weather_is_good:
go_for_a_walk()
elif tickets_are_available:
go_to_the_theater()
elif table_is_available:
go_for_lunch()
else:
play_chess_at_home()

The way to assemble subsequent if-elif-else statements is sometimes called a cascade.

Notice again how the indentation improves the readability of the code.

Some additional attention has to be paid in this case:

 you mustn't use  else  without a preceding  if ;

 else  is always the last branch of the cascade, regardless of whether you've used  elif  or not;
 else  is an optional part of the cascade, and may be omitted;
 if there is an else branch in the cascade, only one of all the branches is executed;
 if there is no else branch, it's possible that none of the available branches is executed.

This may sound a little puzzling, but hopefully some simple examples will help shed more light.

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Analyzing code samples
Now we're going to show you some simple yet complete programs. We won't explain them
in detail, because we consider the comments (and the variable names) inside the code to be
sufficient guides.

All the programs solve the same problem - they find the largest of several numbers and
print it out.

Example 1:

We'll start with the simplest case - how to identify the larger of two numbers:

# Read two numbers

number1 = int(input("Enter the first number: "))
number2 = int(input("Enter the second number: "))

# Choose the larger number

if number1 > number2:
larger_number = number1
else :
larger_number = number2

# Print the result

print ("The larger number is:", larger_number)

The above snippet should be clear - it reads two integer values, compares them, and finds
which is the larger.

Example 2:

Now we're going to show you one intriguing fact. Python has an interesting feature, look at
the code below:

# Read two numbers

number1 = int(input("Enter the first number: "))
number2 = int(input("Enter the second number: "))

# Choose the larger number

if number1 > number2: larger_number = number1
else : larger_number = number2

# Print the result

print ("The larger number is:", larger_number)

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Note: if any of the if-elif-else branches contains just one instruction, you may code it in a
more comprehensive form (you don't need to make an indented line after the keyword, but
just continue the line after the colon).

This style, however, may be misleading, and we're not going to use it in our future
programs, but it's definitely worth knowing if you want to read and understand someone
else's programs.

There are no other differences in the code.

Example 3:

It's time to complicate the code - let's find the largest of three numbers. Will it enlarge the
code? A bit.

We assume that the first value is the largest. Then we verify this hypothesis with the two
remaining values.

Look at the code below:

# Read three numbers

number1 = int(input("Enter the first number: "))
number2 = int(input("Enter the second number: "))
number3 = int(input("Enter the third number: "))

# We temporarily assume that the first number

# is the largest one.
# We will verify this soon.
largest_number = number1

# We check if the second number is larger than current largest_number

# and update largest_number if needed.
if number2 > largest_number:
largest_number = number2

# We check if the third number is larger than current largest_number

# and update largest_number if needed.
if number3 > largest_number:
largest_number = number3

# Print the result

print ("The largest number is:", largest_number)

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This method is significantly simpler than trying to find the largest number all at once, by
comparing all possible pairs of numbers (i.e., first with second, second with third, third with
first). Try to rebuild the code for yourself.

Pseudocode and introduction to loops

You should now be able to write a program which finds the largest of four, five, six, or even ten numbers.

You already know the scheme, so extending the size of the problem will not be particularly complex.

But what happens if we ask you to write a program that finds the largest of two hundred numbers? Can you
imagine the code?

You'll need two hundred variables. If two hundred variables isn't bad enough, try to imagine searching for
the largest of a million numbers.

Imagine a code that contains 199 conditional statements and two hundred invocations of
the  input()  function. Luckily, you don't need to deal with that. There's a simpler approach.

We'll ignore the requirements of Python syntax for now, and try to analyze the problem without thinking
about the real programming. In other words, we'll try to write the algorithm, and when we're happy with
it, we'll implement it.

In this case, we'll use a kind of notation which is not an actual programming language (it can be neither
compiled nor executed), but it is formalized, concise and readable. It's called pseudocode.

Let's look at our pseudocode below:

largest_number = -999999999
number = int(input())

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if number == -1:
print(largest_number)
exit()
if number > largest_number:
largest_number = number
# Go to line 02

What's happening in it?

Firstly, we can simplify the program if, at the very beginning of the code, we assign the
variable  largest_number  with a value which will be smaller than any of the entered numbers. We'll
use  -999999999  for that purpose.

Secondly, we assume that our algorithm will not know in advance how many numbers will be delivered to
the program. We expect that the user will enter as many numbers as she/he wants - the algorithm will work
well with one hundred and with one thousand numbers. How do we do that?

We make a deal with the user: when the value  -1  is entered, it will be a sign that there are no more data
and the program should end its work.

Otherwise, if the entered value is not equal to  -1 , the program will read another number, and so on.

The trick is based on the assumption that any part of the code can be performed more than once - precisely,
as many times as needed.

Performing a certain part of the code more than once is called a loop. The meaning of this term is probably
obvious to you.

Lines  02  through  08  make a loop. We'll pass through them as many times as needed to review all the
entered values.

Can you use a similar structure in a program written in Python? Yes, you can.

Extra Info

Python often comes with a lot of built-in functions that will do the work for you. For example, to find the
largest number of all, you can use a Python built-in function called  max() . You can use it with multiple
arguments. Analyze the code below:

# Read three numbers.

number1 = int(input("Enter the first number: "))
number2 = int(input("Enter the second number: "))

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number3 = int(input("Enter the third number: "))

# Check which one of the numbers is the greatest

# and pass it to the largest_number variable.

largest_number = max(number1, number2, number3)

# Print the result.

print ("The largest number is:", largest_number)

By the same fashion, you can use the  min()  function to return the lowest number. You can rebuild the
above code and experiment with it in the Sandbox.

We're going to talk about these (and many other) functions soon. For the time being, our focus will be put
on conditional execution and loops to let you gain more confidence in programming and teach you the
skills that will let you fully understand and apply the two concepts in your code. So, for now, we're not
taking any shortcuts.

Estimated time
5-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 becoming familiar with the the input() function;
 becoming familiar with comparison operators in Python;
 becoming familiar with the concept of conditional execution.

Scenario
Spathiphyllum, more commonly known as a peace lily or white sail plant, is one of the most
popular indoor houseplants that filters out harmful toxins from the air. Some of the toxins
that it neutralizes include benzene, formaldehyde, and ammonia.

Imagine that your computer program loves these plants. Whenever it receives an input in
the form of the word  Spathiphyllum , it involuntarily shouts to the console the following
string:  "Spathiphyllum is the best plant ever!"

Write a program that utilizes the concept of conditional execution, takes a string as input,
and:

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  prints the sentence  "Yes - Spathiphyllum is the best plant ever!"  to the
screen if the inputted string is  "Spathiphyllum"  (upper-case)
 prints  "No, I want a big Spathiphyllum!"  if the inputted string
is  "spathiphyllum"  (lower-case)
 prints  "Spathiphyllum! Not [input]!"  otherwise. Note:  [input]  is the string
taken as input.

Test your code using the data we've provided for you. And get yourself a Spathiphyllum, too!

Test Data
Sample input:  spathiphyllum

Expected output:  No, I want a big Spathiphyllum!

Sample input:  pelargonium

Expected output:  Spathiphyllum! Not pelargonium!

Sample input:  Spathiphyllum

Expected output:  Yes - Spathiphyllum is the best plant ever!

a = input("Enter the plant name:")

if a == "Spathiphyllum":
print("Yes - Spathiphyllum is the best plant ever!")
elif a == "spathiphyllum":
print("No, I want a big Spathiphyllum!")
else:
print("Spathiphyllum! Not [input]!")

Estimated time
10-20 minutes

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Level of difficulty
Easy/Medium

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the if-else instruction to branch the control path;

 building a complete program that solves simple real-life problems.

Scenario
Once upon a time there was a land - a land of milk and honey, inhabited by happy and
prosperous people. The people paid taxes, of course - their happiness had limits. The most
important tax, called the Personal Income Tax (PIT for short) had to be paid once a year, and
was evaluated using the following rule:

 if the citizen's income was not higher than 85,528 thalers, the tax was equal to 18%
of the income minus 556 thalers and 2 cents (this was the so-called tax relief)
 if the income was higher than this amount, the tax was equal to 14,839 thalers and 2
cents, plus 32% of the surplus over 85,528 thalers.

Your task is to write a tax calculator.

 It should accept one floating-point value: the income.

 Next, it should print the calculated tax, rounded to full thalers. There's a function
named  round()  which will do the rounding for you - you'll find it in the skeleton
code in the editor.

Note: this happy country never returns money to its citizens. If the calculated tax is less than
zero, it only means no tax at all (the tax is equal to zero). Take this into consideration during
your calculations.

Look at the code in the editor - it only reads one input value and outputs a result, so you
need to complete it with some smart calculations.

Test your code using the data we've provided.

Test Data
Sample input:  10000

Expected output:  The tax is: 1244.0 thalers

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Sample input:  100000

Expected output:  The tax is: 19470.0 thalers

Sample input:  1000

Expected output:  The tax is: 0.0 thalers

Sample input:  -100

Expected output:  The tax is: 0.0 thalers

income = float(input("Enter the annual income: "))

if income <= 85528.0:

tax = (18/100)*income - 556.2
else:
tax = 14839.2 + (32/100)*(income-85528)
tax = round(tax, 0)
print("The tax is:", tax, "thalers")

Enter the annual income: 10000

The tax is: 1244.0 thalers
Enter the annual income: 100000
The tax is: 19470.0 thalers
Enter the annual income: 1000
The tax is: -376.0 thalers

Estimated time
10-25 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy/Medium

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the if-elif-else statement;

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  finding the proper implementation of verbally defined rules;
 testing code using sample input and output.

Scenario
As you surely know, due to some astronomical reasons, years may be leap or common. The
former are 366 days long, while the latter are 365 days long.

Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar (in 1582), the following rule is used to
determine the kind of year:

 if the year number isn't divisible by four, it's a common year;

 otherwise, if the year number isn't divisible by 100, it's a leap year;
 otherwise, if the year number isn't divisible by 400, it's a common year;
 otherwise, it's a leap year.

Look at the code in the editor - it only reads a year number, and needs to be completed with
the instructions implementing the test we've just described.

The code should output one of two possible messages, which are  Leap year  or  Common
year , depending on the value entered.

It would be good to verify if the entered year falls into the Gregorian era, and output a
warning otherwise:  Not within the Gregorian calendar period . Tip: use the  !
=  and  %  operators.

Test your code using the data we've provided.

Test Data
Sample input:  2000

Expected output:  Leap year

Sample input:  2015

Expected output:  Common year

Sample input:  1999

Expected output:  Common year

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Sample input:  1996

Expected output:  Leap year

Sample input:  1580

Expected output:  Not within the Gregorian calendar period

year = int(input("Enter a year: "))

if year < 1582:

print ("Year not in Gregorian Calender")
elif year % 4 != 0:
print ("Common Year")
elif year % 100 != 0:
print ("Leap Year")
elif year % 400 != 0:
print ("common Year")
else:
print ("Leap year")

Enter a year: 2000

Leap year
Enter a year: 2015
Common Year
Enter a year: 1999
Common Year
Enter a year: 1996
Leap Year
Enter a year: 1580
Year not in Gregorian Calender

Key takeaways

1. The comparison (or the so-called relational) operators are used to compare values. The table below
illustrates how the comparison operators work, assuming that  x = 0 ,  y = 1 , and  z = 0 :

Operator Description Example

x == y # False
x == z # True
== returns if operands' values are equal, and  False  otherwise

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 x != y # True
x != z # False
!= returns  True  if operands' values are not equal, and  False  otherwise

x > y # False
True  ifthe left operand's value is greater than the right operand's y > z # True
>
value, and  False  otherwise

x < y # True
True  if the left operand's value is less than the right operand's value, y < z # False
<
and  False  otherwise

x >= y # False
x >= z # True
True  if the left operand's value is greater than or equal to the right
≥ y >= z # True
operand's value, and  False  otherwise

x <= y # True
x <= z # True
True  if
the left operand's value is less than or equal to the right
≤ y <= z # False
operand's value, and  False  otherwise

2. When you want to execute some code only if a certain condition is met, you can use a conditional
statement:

 a single  if  statement, e.g.:

x = 10

if x == 10: # condition
print("x is equal to 10") # Executed if the condition is
True.

 a series of  if  statements, e.g.:

x = 10

if x > 5: # condition one

print("x is greater than 5") # Executed if condition one is
True.

if x < 10: # condition two

print("x is less than 10") # Executed if condition two is
True.

if x == 10: # condition three

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 print("x is equal to 10") # Executed if condition three is
True.

Each  if  statement is tested separately.

 an  if-else  statement, e.g.:

x = 10

if x < 10: # Condition

print("x is less than 10") # Executed if the condition is
True.

else :
print("x is greater than or equal to 10") # Executed if the
condition is False.

 a series of  if  statements followed by an  else , e.g.:

x = 10

if x > 5: # True
print("x > 5")

if x > 8: # True
print("x > 8")

if x > 10: # False

print("x > 10")

else :
print("else will be executed")

Each  if  is tested separately. The body of  else  is executed if the last  if  is  False .

 The  if-elif-else  statement, e.g.:

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 x = 10

if x == 10: # True
print("x == 10")

if x > 15: # False

print("x > 15")

elif x > 10: # False

print("x > 10")

elif x > 5: # True

print("x > 5")

else :
print("else will not be executed")

If the condition for  if  is  False , the program checks the conditions of the
subsequent  elif  blocks - the first  elif  block that is  True  is executed. If all the conditions
are  False , the  else  block will be executed.

 Nested conditional statements, e.g.:

x = 10

if x > 5: # True
if x == 6: # False
print("nested: x == 6")
elif x == 10: # True
print("nested: x == 10")
else:
print("nested: else")
else :
print("else")

Key takeaways: continued

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

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x = 5
y = 10
z = 8

print(x > y)
print(y > z)

Check
False
True

output

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

x, y, z = 5, 10, 8

print(x > z)
print((y - 5) == x)

Check
False
True

output

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

x, y, z = 5, 10, 8
x, y, z = z, y, x

print(x > z)
print((y - 5) == x)

Check
True
False

output

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Exercise 4

What is the output of the following snippet?

x = 10

if x == 10:
print(x == 10)
if x > 5:
print(x > 5)
if x < 10:
print(x < 10)
else:
print("else")

Check
True
True
else

output

Exercise 5

What is the output of the following snippet?

x = "1"

if x == 1:
print("one")
elif x == "1":
if int(x) > 1:
print("two")
elif int(x) < 1:
print("three")
else:
print("four")
if int(x) == 1:
print("five")
else:
print("six")

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Check
four
five

output

Exercise 6

What is the output of the following snippet?

x = 1
y = 1.0
z = "1"

if x == y:
print("one")
if y == int(z):
print("two")
elif x == y:
print("three")
else:
print("four")

Check
one
two

output

Looping your code with while

Do you agree with the statement presented below?

while there is something to do

do it

Note that this record also declares that if there is nothing to do, nothing at all will happen.

In general, in Python, a loop can be represented as follows:

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while conditional_expression:
instruction

If you notice some similarities to the if instruction, that's quite all right. Indeed, the syntactic difference is
only one: you use the word  while  instead of the word  if .

The semantic difference is more important: when the condition is met, if performs its statements only
once; while repeats the execution as long as the condition evaluates to  True .

Note: all the rules regarding indentation are applicable here, too. We'll show you this soon.

Look at the algorithm below:

while conditional_expression:
instruction_one
instruction_two
instruction_three
:
:
instruction_n

It is now important to remember that:

 if you want to execute more than one statement inside one  while , you must (as
with  if ) indent all the instructions in the same way;
 an instruction or set of instructions executed inside the  while  loop is called the loop's body;
 if the condition is  False  (equal to zero) as early as when it is tested for the first time, the body is
not executed even once (note the analogy of not having to do anything if there is nothing to do);
 the body should be able to change the condition's value, because if the condition is  True  at the
beginning, the body might run continuously to infinity - notice that doing a thing usually decreases
the number of things to do).

An infinite loop
An infinite loop, also called an endless loop, is a sequence of instructions in a program which repeat
indefinitely (loop endlessly.)

Here's an example of a loop that is not able to finish its execution:

while True:
print("I'm stuck inside a loop.")

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This loop will infinitely print  "I'm stuck inside a loop."  on the screen.

NOTE

If you want to get the best learning experience from seeing how an infinite loop behaves, launch IDLE,
create a New File, copy-paste the above code, save your file, and run the program. What you will see is the
never-ending sequence of  "I'm stuck inside a loop."  strings printed to the Python console
window. To terminate your program, just press Ctrl-C (or Ctrl-Break on some computers). This will cause
the so-called  KeyboardInterrupt  exception and let your program get out of the loop. We'll talk about
it later in the course.

Let's go back to the sketch of the algorithm we showed you recently. We're going to show you how to use
this newly learned loop to find the largest number from a large set of entered data.

Analyze the program carefully. See where the loop starts (line 8). Locate the loop's body and find out how
the body is exited:

# Store the current largest number here.

largest_number = -999999999

# Input the first value.

number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to stop: "))

# If the number is not equal to -1, continue.

while number != -1:
# Is number larger than largest_number?
if number > largest_number:
# Yes, update largest_number.
largest_number = number
# Input the next number.
number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to stop: "))

# Print the largest number.

print ("The largest number is:", largest_number)

Check how this code implements the algorithm we showed you earlier.

The while loop: more examples

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Let's look at another example employing the  while  loop. Follow the comments to find out
the idea and the solution.

# A program that reads a sequence of numbers

# and counts how many numbers are even and how many are odd.
# The program terminates when zero is entered.

odd_numbers = 0
even_numbers = 0

# Read the first number.

number = int(input("Enter a number or type 0 to stop: "))

# 0 terminates execution.
while number != 0:
# Check if the number is odd.
if number % 2 == 1:
# Increase the odd_numbers counter.
odd_numbers += 1
else:
# Increase the even_numbers counter.
even_numbers += 1
# Read the next number.
number = int(input("Enter a number or type 0 to stop: "))

# Print results.
print ("Odd numbers count:", odd_numbers)
print ("Even numbers count:", even_numbers)

Certain expressions can be simplified without changing the program's behavior.

Try to recall how Python interprets the truth of a condition, and note that these two forms
are equivalent:

while number != 0:  and  while number: .

The condition that checks if a number is odd can be coded in these equivalent forms, too:

if number % 2 == 1:  and  if number % 2: .

Using a counter variable to exit a loop

Look at the snippet below:

counter = 5

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while counter != 0:
print("Inside the loop.", counter)
counter -= 1
print ("Outside the loop.", counter)

This code is intended to print the string  "Inside the loop."  and the value stored in
the  counter  variable during a given loop exactly five times. Once the condition has not
been met (the  counter  variable has reached  0 ), the loop is exited, and the
message  "Outside the loop."  as well as the value stored in  counter  is printed.

But there's one thing that can be written more compactly - the condition of the  while  loop.

Can you see the difference?

counter = 5
while counter:
print("Inside the loop.", counter)
counter -= 1
print ("Outside the loop.", counter)

Is it more compact than previously? A bit. Is it more legible? That's disputable.

REMEMBER

Don't feel obliged to code your programs in a way that is always the shortest and the most
compact. Readability may be a more important factor. Keep your code ready for a new
programmer.

Estimated time
15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the while loop;

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  reflecting real-life situations in computer code.

Scenario
A junior magician has picked a secret number. He has hidden it in a variable
named  secret_number . He wants everyone who run his program to play the Guess the
secret number game, and guess what number he has picked for them. Those who don't
guess the number will be stuck in an endless loop forever! Unfortunately, he does not know
how to complete the code.

Your task is to help the magician complete the code in the editor in such a way so that the
code:

 will ask the user to enter an integer number;

 will use a  while  loop;
 will check whether the number entered by the user is the same as the number
picked by the magician. If the number chosen by the user is different than the
magician's secret number, the user should see the message  "Ha ha! You're
stuck in my loop!"  and be prompted to enter a number again. If the number
entered by the user matches the number picked by the magician, the number should
be printed to the screen, and the magician should say the following words:  "Well
done, muggle! You are free now."

The magician is counting on you! Don't disappoint him.

EXTRA INFO

By the way, look at the  print()  function. The way we've used it here is called multi-line
printing. You can use triple quotes to print strings on multiple lines in order to make text
easier to read, or create a special text-based design. Experiment with it.

secret_number = 777

print(
"""
+================================+
| Welcome to my game, muggle! |
| Enter an integer number |
| and guess what number I've |
| picked for you. |
| So, what is the secret number? |
+================================+
""")
getNum = int(input("Guess my number"))
while getNum != 777:
print("Ha Ha! You're struck in my loop!")

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 getNum = int(input("Guess my number"))

+================================+
| Welcome to my game, muggle! |
| Enter an integer number |
| and guess what number I've |
| picked for you. |
| So, what is the secret number? |
+================================+

Guess my number10
Ha Ha! You're struck in my loop!
Guess my number20
Ha Ha! You're struck in my loop!
Guess my number30
Ha Ha! You're struck in my loop!
Guess my number777

Looping your code with for

Another kind of loop available in Python comes from the observation that sometimes it's more important
to count the "turns" of the loop than to check the conditions.

Imagine that a loop's body needs to be executed exactly one hundred times. If you would like to use
the  while  loop to do it, it may look like this:

i = 0
while i < 100:
# do_something()
i += 1

It would be nice if somebody could do this boring counting for you. Is that possible?

Of course it is - there's a special loop for these kinds of tasks, and it is named  for .

Actually, the  for  loop is designed to do more complicated tasks - it can "browse" large collections of
data item by item. We'll show you how to do that soon, but right now we're going to present a simpler
variant of its application.

Take a look at the snippet:

for i in range(100):
# do_something()
pass

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There are some new elements. Let us tell you about them:

 the for keyword opens the  for  loop; note - there's no condition after it; you don't have to think
about conditions, as they're checked internally, without any intervention;
 any variable after the for keyword is the control variable of the loop; it counts the loop's turns,
and does it automatically;
 the in keyword introduces a syntax element describing the range of possible values being assigned
to the control variable;
 the  range()  function (this is a very special function) is responsible for generating all the desired
values of the control variable; in our example, the function will create (we can even say that it
will feed the loop with) subsequent values from the following set: 0, 1, 2 .. 97, 98, 99; note: in this
case, the  range()  function starts its job from 0 and finishes it one step (one integer number)
before the value of its argument;
 note the pass keyword inside the loop body - it does nothing at all; it's an empty instruction - we
put it here because the  for  loop's syntax demands at least one instruction inside the body (by the
way -  if ,  elif ,  else  and  while  express the same thing)

Our next examples will be a bit more modest in the number of loop repetitions.

Take a look at the snippet below. Can you predict its output?

for i in range(10):
print("The value of i is currently", i)

Run the code to check if you were right.

Note:

 the loop has been executed ten times (it's the  range()  function's argument)
 the last control variable's value is  9  (not  10 , as it starts from  0 , not from  1 )

The  range()  function invocation may be equipped with two arguments, not just one:

for i in range(2, 8):

print("The value of i is currently", i)

In this case, the first argument determines the initial (first) value of the control variable.

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The last argument shows the first value the control variable will not be assigned.

Note: the  range()  function accepts only integers as its arguments, and generates sequences of integers.

Can you guess the output of the program? Run it to check if you were right now, too.

The first value shown is  2  (taken from the  range() 's first argument.)

The last is  7  (although the  range() 's second argument is  8 ).

More about the for loop and the range() function with

three arguments
The  range()  function may also accept three arguments - take a look at the code in the
editor.

The third argument is an increment - it's a value added to control the variable at every loop
turn (as you may suspect, the default value of the increment is 1).

Can you tell us how many lines will appear in the console and what values they will contain?

Run the program to find out if you were right.

You should be able to see the following lines in the console window:

The value of i is currently 2

The value of i is currently 5

output

Do you know why? The first argument passed to the  range()  function tells us what
the starting number of the sequence is (hence  2  in the output). The second argument tells
the function where to stop the sequence (the function generates numbers up to the
number indicated by the second argument, but does not include it). Finally, the third
argument indicates the step, which actually means the difference between each number in
the sequence of numbers generated by the function.

2  (starting number) →  5  ( 2  increment by 3 equals  5  - the number is within the range from 2
to 8) →  8  ( 5  increment by 3 equals  8  - the number is not within the range from 2 to 8,
because the stop parameter is not included in the sequence of numbers generated by the
function.)

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Note: if the set generated by the  range()  function is empty, the loop won't execute its body
at all.

Just like here - there will be no output:

for i in range(1, 1):

print("The value of i is currently", i)

Note: the set generated by the  range()  has to be sorted in ascending order. There's no
way to force the  range()  to create a set in a different form when the  range()  function
accepts exactly two arguments. This means that the  range() 's second argument must be
greater than the first.

Thus, there will be no output here, either:

for i in range(2, 1):

print("The value of i is currently", i)

Let's have a look at a short program whose task is to write some of the first powers of two:

power = 1
for expo in range(16):
print("2 to the power of", expo, "is", power)
power *= 2

The  expo  variable is used as a control variable for the loop, and indicates the current value
of the exponent. The exponentiation itself is replaced by multiplying by two. Since 20 is equal
to 1, then 2 × 1 is equal to 21, 2 × 21 is equal to 22, and so on. What is the greatest exponent
for which our program still prints the result?

Run the code and check if the output matches your expectations.

for i in range(2, 8, 3):

print("The value of i is currently", i)

The value of i is currently 2

The value of i is currently 5

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power = 1
for expo in range(16):
print("2 to the power of", expo, "is", power)
power *= 2

2 to the power of 0 is 1
2 to the power of 1 is 2
2 to the power of 2 is 4
2 to the power of 3 is 8
2 to the power of 4 is 16
2 to the power of 5 is 32
2 to the power of 6 is 64
2 to the power of 7 is 128
2 to the power of 8 is 256
2 to the power of 9 is 512
2 to the power of 10 is 1024
2 to the power of 11 is 2048
2 to the power of 12 is 4096
2 to the power of 13 is 8192
2 to the power of 14 is 16384
2 to the power of 15 is 32768

Level of difficulty
Very easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the for loop;
 reflecting real-life situations in computer code.

Scenario
Do you know what Mississippi is? Well, it's the name of one of the states and rivers in the
United States. The Mississippi River is about 2,340 miles long, which makes it the second
longest river in the United States (the longest being the Missouri River). It's so long that a
single drop of water needs 90 days to travel its entire length!

The word Mississippi is also used for a slightly different purpose: to count mississippily.

If you're not familiar with the phrase, we're here to explain to you what it means: it's used to
count seconds.

The idea behind it is that adding the word Mississippi to a number when counting seconds
aloud makes them sound closer to clock-time, and therefore "one Mississippi, two
Mississippi, three Mississippi" will take approximately an actual three seconds of time! It's

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often used by children playing hide-and-seek to make sure the seeker does an honest
count.

Your task is very simple here: write a program that uses a  for  loop to "count mississippily"
to five. Having counted to five, the program should print to the screen the final
message  "Ready or not, here I come!"

Use the skeleton we've provided in the editor.

EXTRA INFO

Note that the code in the editor contains two elements which may not be fully clear to you
at this moment: the  import time  statement, and the  sleep()  method. We're going to talk
about them soon.

For the time being, we'd just like you to know that we've imported the  time  module and
used the  sleep()  method to suspend the execution of each subsequent  print()  function
inside the  for  loop for one second, so that the message outputted to the console
resembles an actual counting. Don't worry - you'll soon learn more about modules and
methods.

Expected output
1 Mississippi
2 Mississippi
3 Mississippi
4 Mississippi
5 Mississippi

import time

for i in range(5):
print(i+1," Mississippi")
time.sleep(1)
print("Here I come")

1 Mississippi
2 Mississippi
3 Mississippi
4 Mississippi
5 Mississippi
Here I come

The break and continue statements

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So far, we've treated the body of the loop as an indivisible and inseparable sequence of
instructions that are performed completely at every turn of the loop. However, as
developer, you could be faced with the following choices:

 it appears that it's unnecessary to continue the loop as a whole; you should refrain
from further execution of the loop's body and go further;
 it appears that you need to start the next turn of the loop without completing the
execution of the current turn.

Python provides two special instructions for the implementation of both these tasks. Let's
say for the sake of accuracy that their existence in the language is not necessary - an
experienced programmer is able to code any algorithm without these instructions. Such
additions, which don't improve the language's expressive power, but only simplify the
developer's work, are sometimes called syntactic candy, or syntactic sugar.

These two instructions are:

 break  - exits the loop immediately, and unconditionally ends the loop's operation;
the program begins to execute the nearest instruction after the loop's body;
 continue  - behaves as if the program has suddenly reached the end of the body;
the next turn is started and the condition expression is tested immediately.

Both these words are keywords.

Now we'll show you two simple examples to illustrate how the two instructions work. Look
at the code in the editor. Run the program and analyze the output. Modify the code and
experiment.

# break - example

print("The break instruction:")

for i in range(1, 6):
if i == 3:
break
print("Inside the loop.", i)
print("Outside the loop.")

# continue - example

print("\nThe continue instruction:")

for i in range(1, 6):
if i == 3:
continue
print("Inside the loop.", i)
print("Outside the loop.")

The break instruction:

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Inside the loop. 1
Inside the loop. 2
Outside the loop.

The continue instruction:

Inside the loop. 1
Inside the loop. 2
Inside the loop. 4
Inside the loop. 5
Outside the loop.

The break and continue statements: more examples

Let's return to our program that recognizes the largest among the entered numbers. We'll
convert it twice, using the  break  and  continue  instructions.

Analyze the code, and judge whether and how you would use either of them.

The  break  variant goes here:

largest_number = -99999999
counter = 0

while True:
number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to end program: "))
if number == -1:
break
counter += 1
if number > largest_number:
largest_number = number

if counter != 0:
print("The largest number is", largest_number)
else :
print("You haven't entered any number.")

Run it, test it, and experiment with it.

And now the  continue  variant:

largest_number = -99999999
counter = 0

number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to end program: "))

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while number != -1:
if number == -1:
continue
counter += 1

if number > largest_number:

largest_number = number
number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to end program: "))

if counter:
print("The largest number is", largest_number)
else :
print("You haven't entered any number.")

Look carefully, the user enters the first number before the program enters the  while  loop.
The subsequent number is entered when the program is already in the loop.

Again - run the program, test it, and experiment with it.

The break and continue statements: more examples

Let's return to our program that recognizes the largest among the entered numbers. We'll
convert it twice, using the  break  and  continue  instructions.

Analyze the code, and judge whether and how you would use either of them.

The  break  variant goes here:

largest_number = -99999999
counter = 0

while True:
number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to end program: "))
if number == -1:
break
counter += 1
if number > largest_number:
largest_number = number

if counter != 0:
print("The largest number is", largest_number)
else :
print("You haven't entered any number.")

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Run it, test it, and experiment with it.

And now the  continue  variant:

largest_number = -99999999
counter = 0

number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to end program: "))

while number != -1:

if number == -1:
continue
counter += 1

if number > largest_number:

largest_number = number
number = int(input("Enter a number or type -1 to end program: "))

if counter:
print("The largest number is", largest_number)
else :
print("You haven't entered any number.")

Look carefully, the user enters the first number before the program enters the  while  loop.
The subsequent number is entered when the program is already in the loop.

Again - run the program, test it, and experiment with it.

largest_number = -99999999
counter = 0

number = 0

while number != -1:

number = int(input("Enter a num or type -1 to end program: "))
if number == 999:
print("Exit loop")
continue
counter += 1

if number > largest_number:

largest_number = number

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if counter:
print("The largest number is", largest_number)
else:
print("You haven't entered any number.")

Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 100

Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 123
Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 211
Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 999
Exit loop
Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 543
Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 999
Exit loop
Enter a num or type -1 to end program: 212
Enter a num or type -1 to end program: -1
The largest number is 543

Estimated time
10-20 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the  break  statement in loops;

 reflecting real-life situations in computer code.

Scenario
The  break  statement is used to exit/terminate a loop.

Design a program that uses a  while  loop and continuously asks the user to enter a word
unless the user enters  "chupacabra"  as the secret exit word, in which case the
message  "You've successfully left the loop."  should be printed to the screen, and
the loop should terminate.

Don't print any of the words entered by the user. Use the concept of conditional execution
and the  break  statement.

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wrd = ""

while wrd != "chupacabra":

wrd = input("Enter the correct word: \t")

print("You have successfully left the loop")

Enter the correct word: a

Enter the correct word: s
Enter the correct word: chupacarba
Enter the correct word:
Enter the correct word: chupacabra
You have successfully left the loop

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the  continue  statement in loops;

 reflecting real-life situations in computer code.

Scenario
The  continue  statement is used to skip the current block and move ahead to the next
iteration, without executing the statements inside the loop.

It can be used with both the while and for loops.

Your task here is very special: you must design a vowel eater! Write a program that uses:

 a  for  loop;
 the concept of conditional execution (if-elif-else)
 the  continue  statement.

Your program must:

 ask the user to enter a word;

 use  user_word = user_word.upper()  to convert the word entered by the user to
upper case; we'll talk about the so-called string methods and the  upper()  method
very soon - don't worry;
 use conditional execution and the  continue  statement to "eat" the following
vowels A, E, I, O, U from the inputted word;

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  print the uneaten letters to the screen, each one of them on a separate line.

Test your program with the data we've provided for you.

Test data
Sample input:  Gregory

Expected output:

G
R
G
R
Y

Sample input:  abstemious

Expected output:

B
S
T
M
S

Sample input:  IOUEA

Expected output:

vowels = ['a','e','i','o','u','A','E','I','O','U']
user_word = input("Enter a string: ")
user_word = user_word.upper()
for letter in user_word:
if letter in vowels:
continue
print(letter)

Enter a string: Siva

S
V

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Estimated time
5-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the  continue  statement in loops;

 modifying and upgrading the existing code;
 reflecting real-life situations in computer code.

Scenario
Your task here is even more special than before: you must redesign the (ugly) vowel eater
from the previous lab (3.1.2.10) and create a better, upgraded (pretty) vowel eater! Write a
program that uses:

 a  for  loop;
 the concept of conditional execution (if-elif-else)
 the  continue  statement.

Your program must:

 ask the user to enter a word;

 use  user_word = user_word.upper()  to convert the word entered by the user to
upper case; we'll talk about the so-called string methods and the  upper()  method
very soon - don't worry;
 use conditional execution and the  continue  statement to "eat" the following
vowels A, E, I, O, U from the inputted word;
 assign the uneaten letters to the  word_without_vowels  variable and print the
variable to the screen.

Look at the code in the editor. We've created  word_without_vowels  and assigned an
empty string to it. Use concatenation operation to ask Python to combine selected letters
into a longer string during subsequent loop turns, and assign it to
the  word_without_vowels  variable.

Test your program with the data we've provided for you.

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Test data
Sample input:  Gregory

Expected output:

GRGRY

Sample input:  abstemious

Expected output:

BSTMS

Sample input:  IOUEA

Expected output:

word_without_vowels = ""
vowels = ['a','e','i','o','u','A','E','I','O','U']
user_word = input("Enter a string: ")
user_word = user_word.upper()
for letter in user_word:
if letter in vowels:
continue
word_without_vowels+=letter
print(word_without_vowels)

Enter a string: Sivaraman

SVRMN

The while loop and the else branch

Both loops,  while  and  for , have one interesting (and rarely used) feature.

We'll show you how it works - try to judge for yourself if it's usable and whether you can live
without it or not.

In other words, try to convince yourself if the feature is valuable and useful, or is just
syntactic sugar.

Take a look at the snippet in the editor. There's something strange at the end -
the  else  keyword.

As you may have suspected, loops may have the  else  branch too, like  if s.

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The loop's  else  branch is always executed once, regardless of whether the loop has
entered its body or not.

Can you guess the output? Run the program to check if you were right.

Modify the snippet a bit so that the loop has no chance to execute its body even once:

i = 5
while i < 5:
print(i)
i += 1
else :
print("else:", i)

The  while 's condition is  False  at the beginning - can you see it?

Run and test the program, and check whether the  else  branch has been executed or not.

1
2
3
4
else: 5

The for loop and the else branch

for  loops behave a bit differently - take a look at the snippet in the editor and run it.

The output may be a bit surprising.

The  i  variable retains its last value.

Modify the code a bit to carry out one more experiment.

i = 111
for i in range(2, 1):
print(i)
else :
print("else:", i)

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Can you guess the output?

The loop's body won't be executed here at all. Note: we've assigned the  i  variable before
the loop.

Run the program and check its output.

When the loop's body isn't executed, the control variable retains the value it had before the
loop.

Note: if the control variable doesn't exist before the loop starts, it won't exist when
the execution reaches the  else  branch.

How do you feel about this variant of  else ?

Now we're going to tell you about some other kinds of variables. Our current variables can
only store one value at a time, but there are variables that can do much more - they
can store as many values as you want.

0
1
2
3
4
else: 4

Level of difficulty
Medium

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the  while  loop;

 finding the proper implementation of verbally defined rules;
 reflecting real-life situations in computer code.

Scenario
Listen to this story: a boy and his father, a computer programmer, are playing with wooden
blocks. They are building a pyramid.

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Their pyramid is a bit weird, as it is actually a pyramid-shaped wall - it's flat. The pyramid is
stacked according to one simple principle: each lower layer contains one block more than
the layer above.

The figure illustrates the rule used by the builders:

Your task is to write a program which reads the number of blocks the builders have, and
outputs the height of the pyramid that can be built using these blocks.

Note: the height is measured by the number of fully completed layers - if the builders
don't have a sufficient number of blocks and cannot complete the next layer, they finish
their work immediately.

Test your code using the data we've provided.

Test Data

Sample input:  6

Expected output:  The height of the pyramid: 3

Sample input:  20

Expected output:  The height of the pyramid: 5

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Sample input:  1000

Expected output:  The height of the pyramid: 44

Sample input:  2

Expected output:  The height of the pyramid: 1

Level of difficulty
Medium

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using the  while  loop;

 converting verbally defined loops into actual Python code.

Scenario
In 1937, a German mathematician named Lothar Collatz formulated an intriguing
hypothesis (it still remains unproven) which can be described in the following way:

1. take any non-negative and non-zero integer number and name it  c0 ;
2. if it's even, evaluate a new  c0  as  c0 ÷ 2 ;
3. otherwise, if it's odd, evaluate a new  c0  as  3 × c0 + 1 ;
4. if  c0 ≠ 1 , skip to point 2.

The hypothesis says that regardless of the initial value of  c0 , it will always go to 1.

Of course, it's an extremely complex task to use a computer in order to prove the
hypothesis for any natural number (it may even require artificial intelligence), but you can
use Python to check some individual numbers. Maybe you'll even find the one which would
disprove the hypothesis.

Write a program which reads one natural number and executes the above steps as long
as  c0  remains different from 1. We also want you to count the steps needed to achieve the
goal. Your code should output all the intermediate values of  c0 , too.

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Hint: the most important part of the problem is how to transform Collatz's idea into
a  while  loop - this is the key to success.

Test your code using the data we've provided.

Test Data

Sample input:  15

Expected output:

46
23
70
35
106
53
160
80
40
20
10
5
16
8
4
2
1
steps = 17

Sample input:  16

Expected output:

8
4
2
1
steps = 4

Sample input:  1023

Expected output:

3070

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1535
4606
2303
6910
3455
10366
5183
15550
7775
23326
11663
34990
17495
52486
26243
78730
39365
118096
59048
29524
14762
7381
22144
11072
5536
2768
1384
692
346
173
520
260
130
65
196
98
49
148
74
37
112
56
28
14
7
22
11
34
17
52
26
13

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40
20
10
5
16
8
4
2
1
steps = 62

Key takeaways

1. There are two types of loops in Python:  while  and  for :

 the  while  loop executes a statement or a set of statements as long as a specified boolean
condition is true, e.g.:

# Example 1
while True:
print("Stuck in an infinite loop.")

# Example 2
counter = 5
while counter > 2:
print(counter)
counter -= 1

 the  for  loop executes a set of statements many times; it's used to iterate over a sequence (e.g., a
list, a dictionary, a tuple, or a set - you will learn about them soon) or other objects that are
iterable (e.g., strings). You can use the  for  loop to iterate over a sequence of numbers using the
built-in  range  function. Look at the examples below:

# Example 1
word = "Python"
for letter in word:
print(letter, end="*")

# Example 2
for i in range(1, 10):
if i % 2 == 0:
print(i)

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2. You can use the  break  and  continue  statements to change the flow of a loop:

 You use  break  to exit a loop, e.g.:

text = "OpenEDG Python Institute"

for letter in text:
if letter == "P":
break
print(letter, end="")

 You use  continue  to skip the current iteration, and continue with the next iteration, e.g.:

text = "pyxpyxpyx"
for letter in text:
if letter == "x":
continue
print(letter, end="")

3. The  while  and  for  loops can also have an  else  clause in Python. The  else  clause executes after
the loop finishes its execution as long as it has not been terminated by  break , e.g.:

n = 0

while n != 3:
print(n)
n += 1
else :
print(n, "else")

print ()

for i in range(0, 3):

print(i)
else :
print(i, "else")

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4. The  range()  function generates a sequence of numbers. It accepts integers and returns range objects.
The syntax of  range()  looks as follows:  range(start, stop, step) , where:

 start  is an optional parameter specifying the starting number of the sequence (0 by default)
 stop  is an optional parameter specifying the end of the sequence generated (it is not included),
 and  step  is an optional parameter specifying the difference between the numbers in the sequence
(1 by default.)

Example code:

for i in range(3):
print(i, end=" ") # Outputs: 0 1 2

for i in range(6, 1, -2):

print(i, end=" ") # Outputs: 6, 4, 2

Key takeaways: continued

Exercise 1

Create a  for  loop that counts from 0 to 10, and prints odd numbers to the screen. Use the skeleton below:

for i in range(1, 11):

# Line of code.
# Line of code.

Check

Sample solution:
for i in range(0, 11):

if i % 2 != 0:

print(i)

Exercise 2

Create a  while  loop that counts from 0 to 10, and prints odd numbers to the screen. Use the skeleton
below:

x = 1
while x < 11:
# Line of code.

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 # Line of code.
# Line of code.

Check

Sample solution:
x = 1

while x < 11:

if x % 2 != 0:

print(x)

x += 1

Exercise 3

Create a program with a  for  loop and a  break  statement. The program should iterate over characters in
an email address, exit the loop when it reaches the  @  symbol, and print the part before  @  on one line. Use
the skeleton below:

for ch in "[email protected]":
if ch == "@":
# Line of code.
# Line of code.

Check

Sample solution:
for ch in "[email protected]":

if ch == "@":

break

print(ch, end="")

Exercise 4

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Create a program with a  for  loop and a  continue  statement. The program should iterate over a string of
digits, replace each  0  with  x , and print the modified string to the screen. Use the skeleton below:

for digit in "0165031806510":

if digit == "0":
# Line of code.
# Line of code.
# Line of code.

Check

Sample solution:
for digit in "0165031806510":

if digit == "0":

print("x", end="")

continue

print(digit, end="")

Exercise 5

What is the output of the following code?

n = 3

while n > 0:
print(n + 1)
n -= 1
else:
print(n)

Check

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0

Exercise 6

What is the output of the following code?

n = range(4)

for num in n:
print(num - 1)
else:
print(num)

Check

-1

Exercise 7

What is the output of the following code?

for i in range(0, 6, 3):

print(i)

Check

Computer logic
Have you noticed that the conditions we've used so far have been very simple, not to say, quite primitive?
The conditions we use in real life are much more complex. Let's look at this sentence:

If we have some free time,  and  the weather is good, we will go for a walk.

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 We've used the conjunction  and , which means that going for a walk depends on the simultaneous
fulfilment of these two conditions. In the language of logic, such a connection of conditions is called
a conjunction. And now another example:

If you are in the mall or I am in the mall, one of us will buy a gift for Mom.

The appearance of the word  or  means that the purchase depends on at least one of these conditions. In
logic, such a compound is called a disjunction.

It's clear that Python must have operators to build conjunctions and disjunctions. Without them, the
expressive power of the language would be substantially weakened. They're called logical operators.

and
One logical conjunction operator in Python is the word and. It's a binary operator with a priority that is
lower than the one expressed by the comparison operators. It allows us to code complex conditions
without the use of parentheses like this one:

counter > 0 and value == 100

The result provided by the  and  operator can be determined on the basis of the truth table.

If we consider the conjunction of  A and B , the set of possible values of arguments and corresponding
values of the conjunction looks as follows:

Argument  A Argument  B A and B

False False False
False True False
True False False
True True True

or
A disjunction operator is the word  or . It's a binary operator with a lower priority than  and  (just
like  +  compared to  * ). Its truth table is as follows:

Argument  A Argument  B A or B
False False False
False True True

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True False True
True True True

not
In addition, there's another operator that can be applied for constructing conditions. It's a unary operator
performing a logical negation. Its operation is simple: it turns truth into falsehood and falsehood into
truth.

This operator is written as the word  not , and its priority is very high: the same as the unary  +  and  - .
Its truth table is simple:

Argument not  Argument

False True
True False

Logical expressions
Let's create a variable named  var  and assign  1  to it. The following conditions are pairwise equivalent:

# Example 1:
print(var > 0)
print(not (var <= 0))

# Example 2:
print(var != 0)
print(not (var == 0))

You may be familiar with De Morgan's laws. They say that:

The negation of a conjunction is the disjunction of the negations.

The negation of a disjunction is the conjunction of the negations.

Let's write the same thing using Python:

not (p and q) == (not p) or (not q)

not (p or q) == (not p) and (not q)

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Note how the parentheses have been used to code the expressions - we put them there to improve
readability.

We should add that none of these two-argument operators can be used in the abbreviated form known
as  op= . This exception is worth remembering.

Logical values vs. single bits

Logical operators take their arguments as a whole regardless of how many bits they contain. The operators
are aware only of the value: zero (when all the bits are reset) means  False ; not zero (when at least one bit
is set) means  True .

The result of their operations is one of these values:  False  or  True . This means that this snippet will
assign the value  True  to the  j  variable if  i  is not zero; otherwise, it will be  False .

i = 1
j = not not i

Bitwise operators
However, there are four operators that allow you to manipulate single bits of data. They are
called bitwise operators.

They cover all the operations we mentioned before in the logical context, and one additional operator. This
is the  xor  (as in exclusive or) operator, and is denoted as  ^  (caret).

Here are all of them:

 &  (ampersand) - bitwise conjunction;

 |  (bar) - bitwise disjunction;
 ~  (tilde) - bitwise negation;
 ^  (caret) - bitwise exclusive or (xor).

Bitwise operations ( & ,  | , and  ^ )

Argument  B A & B A | B A ^ B
0 0 0 0
1 0 1 1
0 0 1 1
1 1 1 0

Bitwise operations (~)

Argument ~  Argument
0 1
1 0

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Let's make it easier:

 &  requires exactly two  1 s to provide  1  as the result;

 |  requires at least one  1  to provide  1  as the result;
 ^  requires exactly one  1  to provide  1  as the result.

Let us add an important remark: the arguments of these operators must be integers; we must not use floats
here.

The difference in the operation of the logical and bit operators is important: the logical operators do not
penetrate into the bit level of its argument. They're only interested in the final integer value.

Bitwise operators are stricter: they deal with every bit separately. If we assume that the integer variable
occupies 64 bits (which is common in modern computer systems), you can imagine the bitwise operation
as a 64-fold evaluation of the logical operator for each pair of bits of the arguments. This analogy is
obviously imperfect, as in the real world all these 64 operations are performed at the same time
(simultaneously).

Logical vs. bit operations: continued

We'll now show you an example of the difference in operation between the logical and bit operations. Let's
assume that the following assignments have been performed:

i = 15
j = 22

If we assume that the integers are stored with 32 bits, the bitwise image of the two variables will be as
follows:

i: 00000000000000000000000000001111
j: 00000000000000000000000000010110

The assignment is given:

log = i and j

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We are dealing with a logical conjunction here. Let's trace the course of the calculations. Both
variables  i  and  j  are not zeros, so will be deemed to represent  True . Consulting the truth table for
the  and  operator, we can see that the result will be  True . No other operations are performed.

log: True

Now the bitwise operation - here it is:

bit = i & j

The  &  operator will operate with each pair of corresponding bits separately, producing the values of the
relevant bits of the result. Therefore, the result will be as follows:

i 00000000000000000000000000001111
j 00000000000000000000000000010110
bit = i & j 00000000000000000000000000000110

These bits correspond to the integer value of six.

Let's look at the negation operators now. First the logical one:

logneg = not i

The  logneg  variable will be set to  False  - nothing more needs to be done.

The bitwise negation goes like this:

bitneg = ~i

It may be a bit surprising: the  bitneg  variable value is  -16 . This may seem strange, but isn't at all. If
you wish to learn more, you should check out the binary numeral system and the rules governing two's
complement numbers.

i 00000000000000000000000000001111
bitneg = ~i 11111111111111111111111111110000

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Each of these two-argument operators can be used in abbreviated form. These are the examples of their
equivalent notations:

x = x & y x &= y
x = x | y x |= y
x = x ^ y x ^= y

How do we deal with single bits?

We'll now show you what you can use bitwise operators for. Imagine that you're a developer obliged to
write an important piece of an operating system. You've been told that you're allowed to use a variable
assigned in the following way:

flag_register = 0x1234

The variable stores the information about various aspects of system operation. Each bit of the variable
stores one yes/no value. You've also been told that only one of these bits is yours - the third (remember
that bits are numbered from zero, and bit number zero is the lowest one, while the highest is number 31).
The remaining bits are not allowed to change, because they're intended to store other data. Here's your bit
marked with the letter  x :

flag_register = 0000000000000000000000000000x000

You may be faced with the following tasks:

1. Check the state of your bit - you want to find out the value of your bit; comparing the whole variable
to zero will not do anything, because the remaining bits can have completely unpredictable values, but you
can use the following conjunction property:

x & 1 = x
x & 0 = 0

If you apply the  &  operation to the  flag_register  variable along with the following bit image:

00000000000000000000000000001000

(note the  1  at your bit's position) as the result, you obtain one of the following bit strings:

 00000000000000000000000000001000  if your bit was set to  1

 0000000000000000000000000000000  if your bit was reset to  0

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Such a sequence of zeros and ones, whose task is to grab the value or to change the selected bits, is called
a bit mask.

Let's build a bit mask to detect the state of your bit. It should point to the third bit. That bit has the weight
of  23 = 8 . A suitable mask could be created by the following declaration:

the_mask = 8

You can also make a sequence of instructions depending on the state of your bit i here it is:

if flag_register & the_mask:

# My bit is set.
else :
# My bit is reset.

2. Reset your bit - you assign a zero to the bit while all the other bits must remain unchanged; let's use the
same property of the conjunction as before, but let's use a slightly different mask - exactly as below:

11111111111111111111111111110111

Note that the mask was created as a result of the negation of all the bits of  the_mask  variable. Resetting
the bit is simple, and looks like this (choose the one you like more):

flag_register = flag_register & ~the_mask

flag_register &= ~the_mask

3. Set your bit - you assign a  1  to your bit, while all the remaining bits must remain unchanged; use the
following disjunction property:

x | 1 = 1
x | 0 = x

You're now ready to set your bit with one of the following instructions:

flag_register = flag_register | the_mask

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flag_register |= the_mask

4. Negate your bit - you replace a  1  with a  0  and a  0  with a  1 . You can use an interesting property of
the  xor  operator:

x ^ 1 = ~x
x ^ 0 = x

and negate your bit with the following instructions:

flag_register = flag_register ^ the_mask

flag_register ^= the_mask

Binary left shift and binary right shift

Python offers yet another operation relating to single bits: shifting. This is applied only
to integer values, and you mustn't use floats as arguments for it.

You already apply this operation very often and quite unconsciously. How do you multiply
any number by ten? Take a look:

12345 × 10 = 123450

As you can see, multiplying by ten is in fact a shift of all the digits to the left and filling the
resulting gap with zero.

Division by ten? Take a look:

12340 ÷ 10 = 1234

Dividing by ten is nothing but shifting the digits to the right.

The same kind of operation is performed by the computer, but with one difference: as two is
the base for binary numbers (not 10), shifting a value one bit to the left thus

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corresponds to multiplying it by two; respectively, shifting one bit to the right is like
dividing by two (notice that the rightmost bit is lost).

The shift operators in Python are a pair of digraphs:  <<  and  >> , clearly suggesting in which
direction the shift will act.

value << bits

value >> bits

The left argument of these operators is an integer value whose bits are shifted. The
right argument determines the size of the shift.

It shows that this operation is certainly not commutative.

The priority of these operators is very high. You'll see them in the updated table of priorities,
which we'll show you at the end of this section.

Take a look at the shifts in the editor window.

The final  print()  invocation produces the following output:

17 68 8

output

Note:

 17 >> 1  →  17 // 2  (17 floor-divided by 2 to the power of 1) →  8  (shifting to the

right by one bit is the same as integer division by two)
 17 << 2  →  17 * 4  (17 multiplied by 2 to the power of 2) →  68  (shifting to the left
by two bits is the same as integer multiplication by four)

And here is the updated priority table, containing all the operators introduced so far:

Priority Operator
1 ~ ,  + ,  - unary
2 **
3 * ,  / ,  // ,  %
4 + ,  - binary
5 << ,  >>
6 < ,  <= ,  > ,  >=

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7 == ,  !=
8 &
9 |
10 = ,  += ,  -= ,  *= ,  /= ,  %= ,  &= ,  ^= ,  |= ,  >>= ,  <<=

Key takeaways

1. Python supports the following logical operators:

 and  → if both operands are true, the condition is true, e.g.,  (True and True)  is  True ,
 or  → if any of the operands are true, the condition is true, e.g.,  (True or False)  is  True ,
 not  → returns false if the result is true, and returns true if the result is false, e.g.,  not
True  is  False .

2. You can use bitwise operators to manipulate single bits of data. The following sample data:

 x = 15 , which is  0000 1111  in binary,

 y = 16 , which is  0001 0000  in binary.

will be used to illustrate the meaning of bitwise operators in Python. Analyze the examples below:

 &  does a bitwise and, e.g.,  x & y = 0 , which is  0000 0000  in binary,
 |  does a bitwise or, e.g.,  x | y = 31 , which is  0001 1111  in binary,
 ˜  does a bitwise not, e.g.,  ˜ x = 240 *, which is  1111 0000  in binary,
 ^  does a bitwise xor, e.g.,  x ^ y = 31 , which is  0001 1111  in binary,
 >>  does a bitwise right shift, e.g.,  y >> 1 = 8 , which is  0000 1000  in binary,
 <<  does a bitwise left shift, e.g.,  y << 3 = , which is  1000 0000  in binary,

*  -16  (decimal from signed 2's complement) -- read more about the Two's complement operation.

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

x = 1
y = 0

z = ((x == y) and (x == y)) or not(x == y)

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print(not(z))

Check

False

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

x = 4
y = 1

a = x & y
b = x | y
c = ~x # tricky!
d = x ^ 5
e = x >> 2
f = x << 2

print(a, b, c, d, e, f)

Check

0 5 -5 1 1 16

Why do we need lists?

It may happen that you have to read, store, process, and finally, print dozens, maybe hundreds, perhaps
even thousands of numbers. What then? Do you need to create a separate variable for each value? Will you
have to spend long hours writing statements like the one below?

var1 = int(input())
var2 = int(input())
var3 = int(input())
var4 = int(input())
var5 = int(input())
var6 = int(input())
:
:

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If you don't think that this is a complicated task, then take a piece of paper and write a program that:

 reads five numbers,

 prints them in order from the smallest to the largest (NB, this kind of processing is called sorting).

You should find that you don't even have enough paper to complete the task.

So far, you've learned how to declare variables that are able to store exactly one given value at a time.
Such variables are sometimes called scalars by analogy with mathematics. All the variables you've used so
far are actually scalars.

Think of how convenient it would be to declare a variable that could store more than one value. For
example, a hundred, or a thousand or even ten thousand. It would still be one and the same variable, but
very wide and capacious. Sounds appealing? Perhaps, but how would it handle such a container full of
different values? How would it choose just the one you need?

What if you could just number them? And then say: give me the value number 2; assign the value number
15; increase the value number 10000.

We'll show you how to declare such multi-value variables. We'll do this with the example we just
suggested. We'll write a program that sorts a sequence of numbers. We won't be particularly ambitious -
we'll assume that there are exactly five numbers.

Let's create a variable called  numbers ; it's assigned with not just one number, but is filled with a list
consisting of five values (note: the list starts with an open square bracket and ends with a closed
square bracket; the space between the brackets is filled with five numbers separated by commas).

numbers = [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]

Let's say the same thing using adequate terminology:  numbers  is a list consisting of five values, all of
them numbers. We can also say that this statement creates a list of length equal to five (as in there are five
elements inside it).

The elements inside a list may have different types. Some of them may be integers, others floats, and yet
others may be lists.

Python has adopted a convention stating that the elements in a list are always numbered starting from
zero. This means that the item stored at the beginning of the list will have the number zero. Since there are
five elements in our list, the last of them is assigned the number four. Don't forget this.

You'll soon get used to it, and it'll become second nature.

Before we go any further in our discussion, we have to state the following: our list is a collection of
elements, but each element is a scalar.

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Indexing lists
How do you change the value of a chosen element in the list?

Let's assign a new value of  111  to the first element in the list. We do it this way:

numbers = [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]
print("Original list content:", numbers) # Printing original list
content.

numbers[0] = 111
print("New list content: ", numbers) # Current list content.

And now we want the value of the fifth element to be copied to the second element -
can you guess how to do it?

numbers = [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]
print("Original list content:", numbers) # Printing original list
content.

numbers[0] = 111
print("\nPrevious list content:", numbers) # Printing previous list
content.

numbers[1] = numbers[4] # Copying value of the fifth element to the

second.
print("New list content:", numbers) # Printing current list content.

The value inside the brackets which selects one element of the list is called an index, while
the operation of selecting an element from the list is known as indexing.

We're going to use the  print()  function to print the list content each time we make the
changes. This will help us follow each step more carefully and see what's going on after a
particular list modification.

Note: all the indices used so far are literals. Their values are fixed at runtime, but any
expression can be the index, too. This opens up lots of possibilities.

Accessing list content

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Each of the list's elements may be accessed separately. For example, it can be printed:

print (numbers[0]) # Accessing the list's first element.

Assuming that all of the previous operations have been completed successfully, the snippet
will send  111  to the console.

As you can see in the editor, the list may also be printed as a whole - just like here:

print (numbers) # Printing the whole list.

As you've probably noticed before, Python decorates the output in a way that suggests that
all the presented values form a list. The output from the example snippet above looks like
this:

[111, 1, 7, 2, 1]

output

The len() function
The length of a list may vary during execution. New elements may be added to the list,
while others may be removed from it. This means that the list is a very dynamic entity.

If you want to check the list's current length, you can use a function named  len()  (its name
comes from length).

The function takes the list's name as an argument, and returns the number of elements
currently stored inside the list (in other words - the list's length).

Look at the last line of code in the editor, run the program and check what value it will print
to the console. Can you guess?

numbers = [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]
print("Original list content:", numbers) # Printing original list content.

numbers[0] = 111
print("\nPrevious list content:", numbers) # Printing previous list content.

numbers[1] = numbers[4] # Copying value of the fifth element to the second.

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print("Previous list content:", numbers) # Printing previous list content.

print("\nList length:", len(numbers)) # Printing the list's length.

Original list content: [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]

Previous list content: [111, 5, 7, 2, 1]

Previous list content: [111, 1, 7, 2, 1]

List length: 5

Removing elements from a list

Any of the list's elements may be removed at any time - this is done with an instruction
named  del  (delete). Note: it's an instruction, not a function.

You have to point to the element to be removed - it'll vanish from the list, and the list's
length will be reduced by one.

Look at the snippet below. Can you guess what output it will produce? Run the program in
the editor and check.

del numbers[1]
print(len(numbers))
print(numbers)

You can't access an element which doesn't exist - you can neither get its value nor assign
it a value. Both of these instructions will cause runtime errors now:

print(numbers[4])
numbers[4] = 1

Add the snippet above after the last line of code in the editor, run the program and check
what happens.

Note: we've removed one of the list's elements - there are only four elements in the list now.
This means that element number four doesn't exist.

numbers = [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]
print("Original list content:", numbers) # Printing original list content.

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numbers[0] = 111
print("\nPrevious list content:", numbers) # Printing previous list content.

numbers[1] = numbers[4] # Copying value of the fifth element to the second.

print("Previous list content:", numbers) # Printing previous list content.

print("\nList's length:", len(numbers)) # Printing previous list length.

###

del numbers[1] # Removing the second element from the list.

print("New list's length:", len(numbers)) # Printing new list length.
print("\nNew list content:", numbers) # Printing current list content.

Original list content: [10, 5, 7, 2, 1]

Previous list content: [111, 5, 7, 2, 1]

Previous list content: [111, 1, 7, 2, 1]

List's length: 5
New list's length: 4

New list content: [111, 7, 2, 1]

numbers.pop()

New list content: [111, 7, 2]

Negative indices are legal

It may look strange, but negative indices are legal, and can be very useful.

An element with an index equal to  -1  is the last one in the list.

print(numbers[-1])

The example snippet will output  1 . Run the program and check.

Similarly, the element with an index equal to  -2  is the one before last in the list.

print(numbers[-2])

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The example snippet will output  2 .

The last accessible element in our list is  numbers[-4]  (the first one) - don't try to go any
further!

numbers = [111, 7, 2, 1]
print(numbers[-1])
print(numbers[-2])

1
2

Level of difficulty
Very easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 using basic instructions related to lists;

 creating and modifying lists.

Scenario
There once was a hat. The hat contained no rabbit, but a list of five numbers:  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,
and  5 .

Your task is to:

 write a line of code that prompts the user to replace the middle number in the list
with an integer number entered by the user (Step 1)
 write a line of code that removes the last element from the list (Step 2)
 write a line of code that prints the length of the existing list (Step 3).

Ready for this challenge?

Functions vs. methods

A method is a specific kind of function - it behaves like a function and looks like a function, but differs
in the way in which it acts, and in its invocation style.

A function doesn't belong to any data - it gets data, it may create new data and it (generally) produces a
result.

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A method does all these things, but is also able to change the state of a selected entity.

A method is owned by the data it works for, while a function is owned by the whole code.

This also means that invoking a method requires some specification of the data from which the method is
invoked.

It may sound puzzling here, but we'll deal with it in depth when we delve into object-oriented
programming.

In general, a typical function invocation may look like this:

result = function(arg)

The function takes an argument, does something, and returns a result.

A typical method invocation usually looks like this:

result = data.method(arg)

Note: the name of the method is preceded by the name of the data which owns the method. Next, you add
a dot, followed by the method name, and a pair of parenthesis enclosing the arguments.

The method will behave like a function, but can do something more - it can change the internal state of
the data from which it has been invoked.

You may ask: why are we talking about methods, not about lists?

This is an essential issue right now, as we're going to show you how to add new elements to an existing
list. This can be done with methods owned by all the lists, not by functions.

Adding elements to a list: append() and insert()

A new element may be glued to the end of the existing list:

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list.append(value)

Such an operation is performed by a method named  append() . It takes its argument's value
and puts it at the end of the list which owns the method.

The list's length then increases by one.

The  insert()  method is a bit smarter - it can add a new element at any place in the list,
not only at the end.

list.insert(location, value)

It takes two arguments:

 the first shows the required location of the element to be inserted; note: all the
existing elements that occupy locations to the right of the new element (including
the one at the indicated position) are shifted to the right, in order to make space for
the new element;
 the second is the element to be inserted.
Look at the code in the editor. See how we use the append() and insert() methods. Pay
attention to what happens after using insert(): the former first element is now the
second, the second the third, and so on.

Add the following snippet after the last line of code in the editor:

numbers .insert(1, 333)

Print the final list content to the screen and see what happens. The snippet above snippet
inserts  333  into the list, making it the second element. The former second element becomes
the third, the third the fourth, and so on.

numbers = [111, 7, 2, 1]
print(len(numbers))
print(numbers)

###

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numbers.append(4)

print(len(numbers))
print(numbers)

###

numbers.insert(0, 222)
print(len(numbers))
print(numbers)

4
[111, 7, 2, 1]
5
[111, 7, 2, 1, 4]
6
[222, 111, 7, 2, 1, 4]

Adding elements to a list: continued

You can start a list's life by making it empty (this is done with an empty pair of square
brackets) and then adding new elements to it as needed.

Take a look at the snippet in the editor. Try to guess its output after the  for  loop execution.
Run the program to check if you were right.

It'll be a sequence of consecutive integer numbers from  1  (you then add one to all the
appended values) to  5 .

We've modified the snippet a bit:

my_list = [] # Creating an empty list.

for i in range(5):
my_list.insert(0, i + 1)

print(my_list)

what will happen now? Run the program and check if this time you were right, too.

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You should get the same sequence, but in reverse order (this is the merit of using
the  insert()  method).

my_list = [] # Creating an empty list.

for i in range(5):
my_list.append(i + 1)

print(my_list)

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Making use of lists

The  for  loop has a very special variant that can process lists very effectively - let's take a
look at that.

Let's assume that you want to calculate the sum of all the values stored in
the  my_list  list.

You need a variable whose sum will be stored and initially assigned a value of  0  - its name
will be  total . (Note: we're not going to name it  sum  as Python uses the same name for one
of its built-in functions -  sum() . Using the same name would generally be considered a
bad practice.) Then you add to it all the elements of the list using the  for  loop. Take a look
at the snippet in the editor.

Let's comment on this example:

 the list is assigned a sequence of five integer values;

 the  i  variable takes the values  0 ,  1 ,  2 ,  3 , and  4 , and then it indexes the list, selecting
the subsequent elements: the first, second, third, fourth and fifth;
 each of these elements is added together by the  +=  operator to the  total  variable,
giving the final result at the end of the loop;
 note the way in which the  len()  function has been employed - it makes the code
independent of any possible changes in the list's content.

The second face of the for loop

But the  for  loop can do much more. It can hide all the actions connected to the list's
indexing, and deliver all the list's elements in a handy way.

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This modified snippet shows how it works:

my_list = [10, 1, 8, 3, 5]
total = 0

for i in my_list:
total += i

print (total)

What happens here?

 the  for  instruction specifies the variable used to browse the list ( i  here) followed by
the  in  keyword and the name of the list being processed ( my_list  here)
 the  i  variable is assigned the values of all the subsequent list's elements, and the
process occurs as many times as there are elements in the list;
 this means that you use the  i  variable as a copy of the elements' values, and you
don't need to use indices;
 the  len()  function is not needed here, either.

my_list = [10, 1, 8, 3, 5]
total = 0

for i in range(len(my_list)):
total += my_list[i]

print(total)

27

Lists in action
Let's leave lists aside for a short moment and look at one intriguing issue.

Imagine that you need to rearrange the elements of a list, i.e., reverse the order of the
elements: the first and the fifth as well as the second and fourth elements will be swapped.
The third one will remain untouched.

Question: how can you swap the values of two variables?

Take a look at the snippet:

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variable_1 = 1
variable_2 = 2

variable_2 = variable_1
variable_1 = variable_2

If you do something like this, you would lose the value previously stored in  variable_2 .
Changing the order of the assignments will not help. You need a third variable that serves
as an auxiliary storage.

This is how you can do it:

variable_1 = 1
variable_2 = 2

auxiliary = variable_1
variable_1 = variable_2
variable_2 = auxiliary

Python offers a more convenient way of doing the swap - take a look:

variable_1 = 1
variable_2 = 2

variable_1, variable_2 = variable_2, variable_1

Clear, effective and elegant - isn't it?

Lists in action
Now you can easily swap the list's elements to reverse their order:

my_list = [10, 1, 8, 3, 5]

my_list [0], my_list[4] = my_list[4], my_list[0]

my_list [1], my_list[3] = my_list[3], my_list[1]

print (my_list)

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Run the snippet. Its output should look like this:

[5, 3, 8, 1, 10]

output

It looks fine with five elements.

Will it still be acceptable with a list containing 100 elements? No, it won't.

Can you use the  for  loop to do the same thing automatically, irrespective of the list's
length? Yes, you can.

This is how we've done it:

my_list = [10, 1, 8, 3, 5]
length = len(my_list)

for i in range(length // 2):

my_list[i], my_list[length - i - 1] = my_list[length - i - 1],
my_list[i]

print(my_list)

Note:

 we've assigned the  length  variable with the current list's length (this makes our
code a bit clearer and shorter)
 we've launched the  for  loop to run through its body  length // 2  times (this works
well for lists with both even and odd lengths, because when the list contains an odd
number of elements, the middle one remains untouched)
 we've swapped the ith element (from the beginning of the list) with the one with an
index equal to  (length - i - 1)  (from the end of the list); in our example,
for  i  equal to  0  the  (lenght - i - 1)  gives  4 ; for  i  equal to  1 , it gives  3  - this is
exactly what we needed.

Lists are extremely useful, and you'll encounter them very often.

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Estimated time
10-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 creating and modifying simple lists;

 using methods to modify lists.

Scenario
The Beatles were one of the most popular music group of the 1960s, and the best-selling
band in history. Some people consider them to be the most influential act of the rock era.
Indeed, they were included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th Century's 100 most
influential people.

The band underwent many line-up changes, culminating in 1962 with the line-up of John
Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Starkey (better known as Ringo
Starr).

Write a program that reflects these changes and lets you practice with the concept of lists.
Your task is to:

 step 1: create an empty list named  beatles ;

 step 2: use the  append()  method to add the following members of the band to the
list:  John Lennon ,  Paul McCartney , and  George Harrison ;
 step 3: use the  for  loop and the  append()  method to prompt the user to add the
following members of the band to the list:  Stu Sutcliffe , and  Pete Best ;
 step 4: use the  del  instruction to remove  Stu Sutcliffe  and  Pete Best  from the
list;
 step 5: use the  insert()  method to add  Ringo Starr  to the beginning of the list.

By the way, are you a Beatles fan? (The Beatles is one of Greg's favorite bands. But
wait...who's Greg...?)

beatles = []

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print("Step 1:", beatles)

beatles.append("John")
beatles.append("Paul")
beatles.append("George")
print("Step 2:", beatles)

for i in range(2):
if i == 0:
beatles.append("Stu")
else:
beatles.append("pete")
print("Step 3:", beatles)

del beatles[len(beatles)-2:len(beatles)-1]
print("Step 4:", beatles)

beatles.insert(0,"ringo")
print("Step 5:", beatles)

# testing list legth

print("The Fab", len(beatles))

Step 1: []
Step 2: ['John', 'Paul', 'George']
Step 3: ['John', 'Paul', 'George', 'Stu', 'pete']
Step 4: ['John', 'Paul', 'George', 'pete']
Step 5: ['ringo', 'John', 'Paul', 'George', 'pete']
The Fab 5

Python List insert()

The list insert() method inserts an element to the list at the specified index.

The syntax of the  insert()  method is

list.insert(i, elem)

Here,  elem  is inserted to the list at the  i  index. All the elements after  elem  are
th

shifted to the right.

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insert() Parameters

The  insert()  method takes two parameters:

 index - the index where the element needs to be inserted
 element - this is the element to be inserted in the list
Notes:
 If  index  is 0, the element is inserted at the beginning of the list.
 If  index  is 3, the index of the inserted element will be 3 (4th element in
the list).

Return Value from insert()

The  insert()  method doesn't return anything; returns  None . It only updates the
current list.

Example 1: Inserting an Element to the List

# vowel list
vowel = ['a', 'e', 'i', 'u']

# 'o' is inserted at index 3 (4th position)

vowel.insert(3, 'o')

print('Updated List:', vowel)

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Output

Updated List: ['a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u']

Example 2: Inserting a Tuple (as an Element) to the List

mixed_list = [{1, 2}, [5, 6, 7]]

# number tuple
number_tuple = (3, 4)

# inserting a tuple to the list

mixed_list.insert(1, number_tuple)

print('Updated List:', mixed_list)

Output

Updated List: [{1, 2}, (3, 4), [5, 6, 7]]

Python List extend()

The extend() method adds all the elements of an iterable (list, tuple, string
etc.) to the end of the list.

The syntax of the  extend()  method is:

list1.extend(iterable)

Here, all the elements of  iterable  are added to the end of  list1 .

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extend() Parameters

As mentioned, the  extend()  method takes an iterable such as list, tuple, string
etc.

Return Value from extend()

The  extend()  method modifies the original list. It doesn't return any value.

Example 1: Using extend() Method

# languages list
languages = ['French', 'English']

# another list of language

languages1 = ['Spanish', 'Portuguese']

# appending language1 elements to language

languages.extend(languages1)

print('Languages List:', languages)

Output

Languages List: ['French', 'English', 'Spanish', 'Portuguese']

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Example 2: Add Elements of Tuple and Set to List

# languages list
languages = ['French']

# languages tuple
languages_tuple = ('Spanish', 'Portuguese')

# languages set
languages_set = {'Chinese', 'Japanese'}

# appending language_tuple elements to language

languages.extend(languages_tuple)

print('New Language List:', languages)

# appending language_set elements to language

languages.extend(languages_set)

print('Newer Languages List:', languages)

Output

New Languages List: ['French', 'Spanish', 'Portuguese']

Newer Languages List: ['French', 'Spanish', 'Portuguese', 'Japanese', 'Chinese']

Other Ways to Extend a List

You can also append all elements of an iterable to the list using:

1. the + operator

a = [1, 2]
b = [3, 4]

a += b # a = a + b

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# Output: [1, 2, 3, 4]
print('a =', a)

Output

a = [1, 2, 3, 4]

2. the list slicing syntax

a = [1, 2]
b = [3, 4]

a[len(a):] = b

# Output: [1, 2, 3, 4]
print('a =', a)

Output

a = [1, 2, 3, 4]

Python extend() Vs append()

If you need to add an element to the end of a list, you can use
the  append()  method.

a1 = [1, 2]
a2 = [1, 2]
b = (3, 4)

# a1 = [1, 2, 3, 4]
a1.extend(b)
print(a1)

# a2 = [1, 2, (3, 4)]

a2.append(b)

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print(a2)

Output

[1, 2, 3, 4]

[1, 2, (3, 4)]

To learn more, visit list append() method.

Python List append()

The append() method adds an item to the end of the list.

The syntax of the  append()  method is:

list.append(item)

append() Parameters

The method takes a single argument

 item  - an item to be added at the end of the list

The item can be numbers, strings, dictionaries, another list, and so on.

Return Value from append()

The method doesn't return any value (returns  None ).

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Example 1: Adding Element to a List

# animals list
animals = ['cat', 'dog', 'rabbit']

# 'guinea pig' is appended to the animals list

animals.append('guinea pig')

# Updated animals list

print('Updated animals list: ', animals)

Output

Updated animals list: ['cat', 'dog', 'rabbit', 'guinea pig']

Example 2: Adding List to a List

# animals list
animals = ['cat', 'dog', 'rabbit']

# list of wild animals

wild_animals = ['tiger', 'fox']

# appending wild_animals list to the animals list

animals.append(wild_animals)

print('Updated animals list: ', animals)

Output

Updated animals list: ['cat', 'dog', 'rabbit', ['tiger', 'fox']]

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It is important to notice that, a single item ( wild_animals  list) is added to
the  animals  list in the above program.
If you need to add items of a list to another list (rather than the list itself),
use the extend() method.

Remove an item from a list in Python (clear, pop,

remove, del)
Posted: 2019-05-29 / Modified: 2021-04-06 / Tags: Python, List
 
In Python, use  list  methods  clear() ,  pop() , and  remove()  to remove items (elements)
from a list. It is also possible to delete items using  del  statement by specifying a position or
range with an index or slice.
 Remove all items:  clear()
 Remove an item by index and get its value:  pop()
 Remove an item by value:  remove()
 Remove items by index or slice:  del
 Remove items that meet the condition: List comprehensions

See the following article for adding items to the list.

 Add an item to a list in Python (append, extend, insert)

Sponsored Link
Remove all items:  clear()
You can remove all items from the list with  clear() .
l = list(range(10))
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

l.clear()
print(l)
# []
source: list_remove_item.py
Remove an item by index and get its value:  pop()
You can remove the item at the specified position and get its value with  pop() .
The index at the beginning is  0  (zero-based indexing).
l = list(range(10))
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

print(l.pop(0))

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# 0

print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

print(l.pop(3))
# 4

print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
source: list_remove_item.py
You can use negative values to specify the position from the end. The index at the end is  -1 .
print(l.pop(-2))
# 8

print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9]
source: list_remove_item.py

If the argument is omitted, the last item is deleted.

print(l.pop())
# 9

print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7]
source: list_remove_item.py

Specifying a nonexistent index raises an error.

# print(l.pop(100))
# IndexError: pop index out of range
source: list_remove_item.py
Remove an item by value:  remove()
You can remove the first item from the list where its value is equal to the specified value
with  remove() .
l = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'Bob', 'Dave']
print(l)
# ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'Bob', 'Dave']

l.remove('Alice')
print(l)
# ['Bob', 'Charlie', 'Bob', 'Dave']
source: list_remove_item.py

If the list contains more than one matching the specified value, only the first one is deleted.

l.remove('Bob')
print(l)
# ['Charlie', 'Bob', 'Dave']
source: list_remove_item.py

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Specifying a nonexistent value raises an error.

# l.remove('xxx')
# ValueError: list.remove(x): x not in list
source: list_remove_item.py
Sponsored Link
Remove items by index or slice:  del
clear() ,  pop() , and  remove()  are methods of  list . You can also remove elements from a
list with  del  statements.
Specify the item to be deleted by index. The first index is  0 , and the last index is  -1 .
l = list(range(10))
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

del l[0]
print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

del l[-1]
print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

del l[6]
print(l)
# [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8]
source: list_remove_item.py

You can delete multiple items with slice.

l = list(range(10))
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

del l[2:5]
print(l)
# [0, 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

l = list(range(10))
del l[:3]
print(l)
# [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

l = list(range(10))
del l[4:]
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3]

l = list(range(10))
del l[-3:]
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
source: list_remove_item.py

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It is also possible to delete all items by specifying the entire range.

l = list(range(10))
del l[:]
print(l)
# []
source: list_remove_item.py
You can also specify  step  as  [start:stop:step] .
l = list(range(10))
del l[2:8:2]
print(l)
# [0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9]

l = list(range(10))
del l[::3]
print(l)
# [1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8]
source: list_remove_item.py

See the following article for details on slices.

 How to slice a list, string, tuple in Python

Remove items that meet the condition: List comprehensions

Removing items that satisfy the condition is equivalent extracting items that do not satisfy the
condition.

For this purpose, list comprehensions are used.

 List comprehensions in Python

An example of removing odd or even items (= keeping even or odd items) is as follows.  %  Is
the remainder operator and  i % 2  is the remainder of dividing  i  by  2 .
In the list comprehension, a new list is generated. Unlike the  list  type method
or  del  statement introduced so far, the original list is not changed.
l = list(range(10))
print(l)
# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

print([i for i in l if i % 2 == 0])

# [0, 2, 4, 6, 8]

print([i for i in l if i % 2 != 0])

# [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]

print(l)

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# [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
source: list_remove_item.py

See the following article for details on extracting elements using list comprehensions.

 Extract, replace, convert elements of a list in Python

Other examples are as follows.

l = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'Bob', 'David']

print(l)
# ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'Bob', 'David']

print([s for s in l if s != 'Bob'])

# ['Alice', 'Charlie', 'David']

print([s for s in l if s.endswith('e')])

# ['Alice', 'Charlie']
source: list_remove_item.py
If you want to remove duplicate elements, use  set() .
 Remove / extract duplicate elements from list in Python
print(list(set(l)))
# ['David', 'Alice', 'Charlie', 'Bob']

Key takeaways

1. The list is a type of data in Python used to store multiple objects. It is an ordered and mutable
collection of comma-separated items between square brackets, e.g.:

my_list = [1, None, True, "I am a string", 256, 0]

2. Lists can be indexed and updated, e.g.:

my_list = [1, None, True, 'I am a string', 256, 0]

print (my_list[3]) # outputs: I am a string
print (my_list[-1]) # outputs: 0

my_list [1] = '?'

print (my_list) # outputs: [1, '?', True, 'I am a string', 256, 0]

my_list .insert(0, "first")

my_list .append("last")

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print (my_list) # outputs: ['first', 1, '?', True, 'I am a string',
256, 0, 'last']

3. Lists can be nested, e.g.:

my_list = [1, 'a', ["list", 64, [0, 1], False]]

You will learn more about nesting in module 3.1.7 - for the time being, we just want you to be aware that
something like this is possible, too.

4. List elements and lists can be deleted, e.g.:

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4]
del my_list[2]
print (my_list) # outputs: [1, 2, 4]

del my_list # deletes the whole list

Again, you will learn more about this in module 3.1.6 - don't worry. For the time being just try to
experiment with the above code and check how changing it affects the output.

5. Lists can be iterated through using the  for  loop, e.g.:

my_list = ["white", "purple", "blue", "yellow", "green"]

for color in my_list:

print(color)

6. The  len()  function may be used to check the list's length, e.g.:

my_list = ["white", "purple", "blue", "yellow", "green"]

print (len(my_list)) # outputs 5

del my_list[2]
print (len(my_list)) # outputs 4

7. A typical function invocation looks as follows:  result = function(arg) , while a

typical method invocation looks like this: result = data.method(arg) .

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Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

lst = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
lst.insert(1, 6)
del lst[0]
lst.append(1)

print(lst)

Check

[6, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1]

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

lst = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
lst_2 = []
add = 0

for number in lst:

add += number
lst_2.append(add)

print(lst_2)

Check

[1, 3, 6, 10, 15]

Exercise 3

What happens when you run the following snippet?

lst = []
del lst
print(lst)

Check

NameError: name 'lst' is not defined

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Exercise 4

What is the output of the following snippet?

lst = [1, [2, 3], 4]

print(lst[1])
print(len(lst))

Check

[2, 3]

The bubble sort

Now that you can effectively juggle the elements of lists, it's time to learn how to sort them. Many sorting
algorithms have been invented so far, which differ a lot in speed, as well as in complexity. We are going to
show you a very simple algorithm, easy to understand, but unfortunately not too efficient, either. It's used
very rarely, and certainly not for large and extensive lists.

Let's say that a list can be sorted in two ways:

 increasing (or more precisely - non-decreasing) - if in every pair of adjacent elements, the former
element is not greater than the latter;
 decreasing (or more precisely - non-increasing) - if in every pair of adjacent elements, the former
element is not less than the latter.

In the following sections, we'll sort the list in increasing order, so that the numbers will be ordered from
the smallest to the largest.

Here's the list:

8 10 6 2 4

We'll try to use the following approach: we'll take the first and the second elements and compare them; if
we determine that they're in the wrong order (i.e., the first is greater than the second), we'll swap them
round; if their order is valid, we'll do nothing. A glance at our list confirms the latter - the elements 01 and
02 are in the proper order, as in  8 < 10 .

Now look at the second and the third elements. They're in the wrong positions. We have to swap them:

8 6 10 2 4

We go further, and look at the third and the fourth elements. Again, this is not what it's supposed to be like.
We have to swap them:

8 6 2 10 4

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Now we check the fourth and the fifth elements. Yes, they too are in the wrong positions. Another swap
occurs:

8 6 2 4 10

The first pass through the list is already finished. We're still far from finishing our job, but something
curious has happened in the meantime. The largest element,  10 , has already gone to the end of the list.
Note that this is the desired place for it. All the remaining elements form a picturesque mess, but this one
is already in place.

Now, for a moment, try to imagine the list in a slightly different way - namely, like this:

10
4
2
6
8

Look -  10  is at the top. We could say that it floated up from the bottom to the surface, just like the bubble
in a glass of champagne. The sorting method derives its name from the same observation - it's called
a bubble sort.

Now we start with the second pass through the list. We look at the first and second elements - a swap is
necessary:

6 8 2 4 10

Time for the second and third elements: we have to swap them too:

6 2 8 4 10

Now the third and fourth elements, and the second pass is finished, as  8  is already in place:

6 2 4 8 10

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We start the next pass immediately. Watch the first and the second elements carefully - another swap is
needed:

2 6 4 8 10

Now  6  needs to go into place. We swap the second and the third elements:

2 4 6 8 10

The list is already sorted. We have nothing more to do. This is exactly what we want.

As you can see, the essence of this algorithm is simple: we compare the adjacent elements, and by
swapping some of them, we achieve our goal.

Let's code in Python all the actions performed during a single pass through the list, and then we'll consider
how many passes we actually need to perform it. We haven't explained this so far, and we'll do that a little
later.

Sorting a list
How many passes do we need to sort the entire list?

We solve this issue in the following way: we introduce another variable; its task is to
observe if any swap has been done during the pass or not; if there is no swap, then the list is
already sorted, and nothing more has to be done. We create a variable named  swapped ,
and we assign a value of  False  to it, to indicate that there are no swaps. Otherwise, it will
be assigned  True .

my_list = [8, 10, 6, 2, 4] # list to sort

for i in range(len(my_list) - 1): # we need (5 - 1) comparisons

if my_list[i] > my_list[i + 1]: # compare adjacent elements
my_list[i], my_list[i + 1] = my_list[i + 1], my_list[i] # If we
end up here, we have to swap the elements.

You should be able to read and understand this program without any problems:

my_list = [8, 10, 6, 2, 4] # list to sort

swapped = True # It's a little fake, we need it to enter the while loop.

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while swapped:
swapped = False # no swaps so far
for i in range(len(my_list) - 1):
if my_list[i] > my_list[i + 1]:
swapped = True # a swap occurred!
my_list[i], my_list[i + 1] = my_list[i + 1], my_list[i]

print (my_list)

Run the program and test it.

The bubble sort - interactive version

In the editor you can see a complete program, enriched by a conversation with the user, and
allowing the user to enter and to print elements from the list: The bubble sort - final
interactive version.

Python, however, has its own sorting mechanisms. No one needs to write their own sorts, as
there is a sufficient number of ready-to-use tools.

We explained this sorting system to you because it's important to learn how to process a
list's contents, and to show you how real sorting may work.

If you want Python to sort your list, you can do it like this:

my_list = [8, 10, 6, 2, 4]

my_list.sort()
print(my_list)

It is as simple as that.

The snippet's output is as follows:

[2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

output

As you can see, all the lists have a method named  sort() , which sorts them as fast as
possible. You've already learned about some of the list methods before, and you're going to
learn more about others very soon.

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Key takeaways

1. You can use the  sort()  method to sort elements of a list, e.g.:

lst = [5, 3, 1, 2, 4]
print (lst)

lst .sort()
print (lst) # outputs: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

2. There is also a list method called  reverse() , which you can use to reverse the list, e.g.:

lst = [5, 3, 1, 2, 4]
print (lst)

lst .reverse()
print (lst) # outputs: [4, 2, 1, 3, 5]

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

lst = ["D", "F", "A", "Z"]

lst.sort()

print(lst)

Check

['A', 'D', 'F', 'Z']

Exercise 2

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What is the output of the following snippet?

a = 3
b = 1
c = 2

lst = [a, c, b]
lst.sort()

print(lst)

Check

[1, 2, 3]

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

a = "A"
b = "B"
c = "C"
d = " "

lst = [a, b, c, d]
lst.reverse()

print(lst)

Check

[' ', 'C', 'B', 'A']

The inner life of lists

Now we want to show you one important, and very surprising, feature of lists, which
strongly distinguishes them from ordinary variables.

We want you to memorize it - it may affect your future programs, and cause severe
problems if forgotten or overlooked.

Take a look at the snippet in the editor.

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The program:

 creates a one-element list named  list_1 ;

 assigns it to a new list named  list_2 ;
 changes the only element of  list_1 ;
 prints out  list_2 .

The surprising part is the fact that the program will output:  [2] , not  [1] , which seems to be
the obvious solution.

Lists (and many other complex Python entities) are stored in different ways than ordinary
(scalar) variables.

You could say that:

 the name of an ordinary variable is the name of its content;

 the name of a list is the name of a memory location where the list is stored.

Read these two lines once more - the difference is essential for understanding what we are
going to talk about next.

The assignment:  list_2 = list_1  copies the name of the array, not its contents. In effect,
the two names ( list_1  and  list_2 ) identify the same location in the computer memory.
Modifying one of them affects the other, and vice versa.

How do you cope with that?

Powerful slices
Fortunately, the solution is at your fingertips - its name is the slice.

A slice is an element of Python syntax that allows you to make a brand new copy of a list,
or parts of a list.

It actually copies the list's contents, not the list's name.

This is exactly what you need. Take a look at the snippet below:

list_1 = [1]
list_2 = list_1[:]
list_1[0] = 2
print(list_2)

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Its output is  [1] .

This inconspicuous part of the code described as  [:]  is able to produce a brand new list.

One of the most general forms of the slice looks as follows:

my_list[start:end]

As you can see, it resembles indexing, but the colon inside makes a big difference.

A slice of this form makes a new (target) list, taking elements from the source list - the
elements of the indices from start to  end - 1 .

Note: not to  end  but to  end - 1 . An element with an index equal to  end  is the first element
which does not take part in the slicing.

Using negative values for both start and end is possible (just like in indexing).

Take a look at the snippet:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
new_list = my_list[1:3]
print(new_list)

The  new_list  list will have  end - start  (3 - 1 = 2) elements - the ones with indices equal
to  1  and  2  (but not  3 ).

The snippet's output is:  [8, 6]

Slices - negative indices

Look at the snippet below:

my_list[start:end]

To repeat:

 start  is the index of the first element included in the slice;

 end  is the index of the first element not included in the slice.

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This is how negative indices work with the slice:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
new_list = my_list[1:-1]
print(new_list)

The snippet's output is:

[8, 6, 4]

output

If the  start  specifies an element lying further than the one described by the  end  (from the
list's beginning point of view), the slice will be empty:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
new_list = my_list[-1:1]
print(new_list)

The snippet's output is:

[]

output

Slices: continued
If you omit the  start  in your slice, it is assumed that you want to get a slice beginning at the
element with index  0 .

In other words, the slice of this form:

my_list[:end]

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is a more compact equivalent of:

my_list[0:end]

Look at the snippet below:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
new_list = my_list[:3]
print(new_list)

This is why its output is:  [10, 8, 6] .

Similarly, if you omit the  end  in your slice, it is assumed that you want the slice to end at the
element with the index  len(my_list) .

In other words, the slice of this form:

my_list[start:]

is a more compact equivalent of:

my_list[start:len(my_list)]

Look at the following snippet:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
new_list = my_list[3:]
print(new_list)

Its output is therefore: [4, 2].

Slices: continued
As we've said before, omitting both  start  and  end  makes a copy of the whole list:

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my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
new_list = my_list[:]
print(new_list)

The snippet's output is:  [10, 8, 6, 4, 2] .

The previously described  del  instruction is able to delete more than just a list's element
at once - it can delete slices too:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
del my_list[1:3]
print(my_list)

Note: in this case, the slice doesn't produce any new list!

The snippet's output is:  [10, 4, 2] .

Deleting all the elements at once is possible too:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
del my_list[:]
print(my_list)

The list becomes empty, and the output is:  [] .

Removing the slice from the code changes its meaning dramatically.

Take a look:

my_list = [10, 8, 6, 4, 2]
del my_list
print(my_list)

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The  del  instruction will delete the list itself, not its content.

The  print()  function invocation from the last line of the code will then cause a runtime
error.

The in and not in operators
Python offers two very powerful operators, able to look through the list in order to check
whether a specific value is stored inside the list or not.

These operators are:

elem in my_list
elem not in my_list

The first of them ( in ) checks if a given element (its left argument) is currently stored
somewhere inside the list (the right argument) - the operator returns  True  in this case.

The second ( not in ) checks if a given element (its left argument) is absent in a list - the
operator returns  True  in this case.

Look at the code in the editor. The snippet shows both operators in action. Can you guess
its output? Run the program to check if you were right.

my_list = [0, 3, 12, 8, 2]

print(5 in my_list)
print(5 not in my_list)
print(12 in my_list)

False
True
True

Lists - some simple programs

Now we want to show you some simple programs utilizing lists.

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The first of them tries to find the greater value in the list. Look at the code in the editor.

The concept is rather simple - we temporarily assume that the first element is the largest
one, and check the hypothesis against all the remaining elements in the list.

The code outputs  17  (as expected).

The code may be rewritten to make use of the newly introduced form of the  for  loop:

my_list = [17, 3, 11, 5, 1, 9, 7, 15, 13]

largest = my_list[0]

for i in my_list:
if i > largest:
largest = i

print (largest)

The program above performs one unnecessary comparison, when the first element is
compared with itself, but this isn't a problem at all.

The code outputs  17 , too (nothing unusual).

If you need to save computer power, you can use a slice:

my_list = [17, 3, 11, 5, 1, 9, 7, 15, 13]

largest = my_list[0]

for i in my_list[1:]:
if i > largest:
largest = i

print (largest)

The question is: which of these two actions consumes more computer resources - just one
comparison, or slicing almost all of a list's elements?

Lists - some simple programs

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Now let's find the location of a given element inside a list:

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

to_find = 5
found = False

for i in range(len(my_list)):
found = my_list[i] == to_find
if found:
break

if found:
print("Element found at index", i)
else :
print("absent")

Note:

 the target value is stored in the  to_find  variable;

 the current status of the search is stored in the  found  variable ( True / False )
 when  found  becomes  True , the  for  loop is exited.

Let's assume that you've chosen the following numbers in the lottery:  3 ,  7 ,  11 ,  42 ,  34 ,  49 .

The numbers that have been drawn are:  5 ,  11 ,  9 ,  42 ,  3 ,  49 .

The question is: how many numbers have you hit?

The program will give you the answer:

drawn = [5, 11, 9, 42, 3, 49]

bets = [3, 7, 11, 42, 34, 49]
hits = 0

for number in bets:

if number in drawn:
hits += 1

print (hits)

Note:

 the  drawn  list stores all the drawn numbers;

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  the  bets  list stores your bets;
 the  hits  variable counts your hits.

The program output is:  4 .

Estimated time
10-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 list indexing;
 utilizing the  in  and  not in  operators.

Scenario
Imagine a list - not very long, not very complicated, just a simple list containing some integer
numbers. Some of these numbers may be repeated, and this is the clue. We don't want any
repetitions. We want them to be removed.

Your task is to write a program which removes all the number repetitions from the list. The
goal is to have a list in which all the numbers appear not more than once.

Note: assume that the source list is hard-coded inside the code - you don't have to enter it
from the keyboard. Of course, you can improve the code and add a part that can carry out a
conversation with the user and obtain all the data from her/him.

Hint: we encourage you to create a new list as a temporary work area - you don't need to
update the list in situ.

We've provided no test data, as that would be too easy. You can use our skeleton instead.

my_list = [1, 2, 4, 4, 1, 4, 2, 6, 2, 9]
new_list = []
for i in my_list:
if i in new_list:
continue
else:
new_list.append(i)
my_list = new_list
print("The list with unique elements only:")
print(my_list)

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The list with unique elements only:
[1, 2, 4, 6, 9]

Key takeaways

1. If you have a list  l1 , then the following assignment:  l2 = l1  does not make a copy of the  l1  list, but
makes the variables  l1  and  l2  point to one and the same list in memory. For example:

vehicles_one = ['car', 'bicycle', 'motor']

print (vehicles_one) # outputs: ['car', 'bicycle', 'motor']

vehicles_two = vehicles_one
del vehicles_one[0] # deletes 'car'
print (vehicles_two) # outputs: ['bicycle', 'motor']

2. If you want to copy a list or part of the list, you can do it by performing slicing:

colors = ['red', 'green', 'orange']

copy_whole_colors = colors[:] # copy the entire list

copy_part_colors = colors[0:2] # copy part of the list

3. You can use negative indices to perform slices, too. For example:

sample_list = ["A", "B", "C", "D", "E"]

new_list = sample_list[2:-1]
print (new_list) # outputs: ['C', 'D']

4. The  start  and  end  parameters are optional when performing a slice:  list[start:end] , e.g.:

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
slice_one = my_list[2: ]
slice_two = my_list[ :2]
slice_three = my_list[-2: ]

print (slice_one) # outputs: [3, 4, 5]

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print (slice_two) # outputs: [1, 2]
print (slice_three) # outputs: [4, 5]

5. You can delete slices using the  del  instruction:

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
del my_list[0:2]
print (my_list) # outputs: [3, 4, 5]

del my_list[:]
print (my_list) # deletes the list content, outputs: []

6. You can test if some items exist in a list or not using the keywords  in  and  not in , e.g.:

my_list = ["A", "B", 1, 2]

print ("A" in my_list) # outputs: True

print ("C" not in my_list) # outputs: True
print (2 not in my_list) # outputs: False

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

list_1 = ["A", "B", "C"]

list_2 = list_1
list_3 = list_2

del list_1[0]
del list_2[0]

print(list_3)

Check

['C']

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Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

list_1 = ["A", "B", "C"]

list_2 = list_1
list_3 = list_2

del list_1[0]
del list_2

print(list_3)

Check

['B', 'C']

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

list_1 = ["A", "B", "C"]

list_2 = list_1
list_3 = list_2

del list_1[0]
del list_2[:]

print(list_3)

Check

[]

Exercise 4

What is the output of the following snippet?

list_1 = ["A", "B", "C"]

list_2 = list_1[:]
list_3 = list_2[:]

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del list_1[0]
del list_2[0]

print(list_3)
Check

['A', 'B', 'C']

Exercise 5

Insert  in  or  not in  instead of  ???  so that the code outputs the expected result.

my_list = [1, 2, "in", True, "ABC"]

print(1 ??? my_list) # outputs True

print("A" ??? my_list) # outputs True
print(3 ??? my_list) # outputs True
print(False ??? my_list) # outputs False
Check

my_list = [1, 2, "in", True, "ABC"]

print(1 in my_list) # outputs True

print("A" not in my_list) # outputs True

print(3 not in my_list) # outputs True

print(False in my_list) # outputs False

Lists in lists
Lists can consist of scalars (namely numbers) and elements of a much more complex
structure (you've already seen such examples as strings, booleans, or even other lists in the
previous Section Summary lessons). Let's have a closer look at the case where a list's
elements are just lists.

We often find such arrays in our lives. Probably the best example of this is a chessboard.

A chessboard is composed of rows and columns. There are eight rows and eight columns.
Each column is marked with the letters A through H. Each line is marked with a number
from one to eight.

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The location of each field is identified by letter-digit pairs. Thus, we know that the bottom
left corner of the board (the one with the white rook) is A1, while the opposite corner is H8.

Let's assume that we're able to use the selected numbers to represent any chess piece. We
can also assume that every row on the chessboard is a list.

Look at the code below:

row = []

for i in range(8):
row.append(WHITE_PAWN)

It builds a list containing eight elements representing the second row of the chessboard -
the one filled with pawns (assume that  WHITE_PAWN  is a predefined symbol representing a
white pawn).

The same effect may be achieved by means of a list comprehension, the special syntax
used by Python in order to fill massive lists.

A list comprehension is actually a list, but created on-the-fly during program execution,

and is not described statically.

Take a look at the snippet:

row = [WHITE_PAWN for i in range(8)]

The part of the code placed inside the brackets specifies:

 the data to be used to fill the list ( WHITE_PAWN )

 the clause specifying how many times the data occurs inside the list ( for i in
range(8) )

Let us show you some other list comprehension examples:

Example #1:

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squares = [x ** 2 for x in range(10)]

The snippet produces a ten-element list filled with squares of ten integer numbers starting
from zero (0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81)

Example #2:

twos = [2 ** i for i in range(8)]

The snippet creates an eight-element array containing the first eight powers of two (1, 2, 4,
8, 16, 32, 64, 128)

Example #3:

odds = [x for x in squares if x % 2 != 0 ]

The snippet makes a list with only the odd elements of the  squares  list.

Lists in lists: two-dimensional arrays

Let's also assume that a predefined symbol named  EMPTY  designates an empty field on the
chessboard.

So, if we want to create a list of lists representing the whole chessboard, it may be done in
the following way:

board = []

for i in range(8):
row = [EMPTY for i in range(8)]
board.append(row)

Note:

 the inner part of the loop creates a row consisting of eight elements (each of them
equal to  EMPTY ) and appends it to the  board  list;
 the outer part repeats it eight times;

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  in total, the  board  list consists of 64 elements (all equal to  EMPTY )

This model perfectly mimics the real chessboard, which is in fact an eight-element list of
elements, all being single rows. Let's summarize our observations:

 the elements of the rows are fields, eight of them per row;
 the elements of the chessboard are rows, eight of them per chessboard.

The  board  variable is now a two-dimensional array. It's also called, by analogy to algebraic
terms, a matrix.

As list comprehensions can be nested, we can shorten the board creation in the following
way:

board = [[EMPTY for i in range(8)] for j in range(8)]

The inner part creates a row, and the outer part builds a list of rows.

Lists in lists: two-dimensional arrays - continued

Access to the selected field of the board requires two indices - the first selects the row; the
second - the field number inside the row, which is de facto a column number.

Take a look at the chessboard. Every field contains a pair of indices which should be given to
access the field's content:

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Glancing at the figure shown above, let's set some chess pieces on the board. First, let's add
all the rooks:

board [0][0] = ROOK

board [0][7] = ROOK
board [7][0] = ROOK
board [7][7] = ROOK

If you want to add a knight to C4, you do it as follows:

board [4][2] = KNIGHT

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And now a pawn to E5:

board [3][4] = PAWN

And now - experiment with the code in the editor.

from pprint import pprint

EMPTY = "-"
ROOK = "ROOK"
board = []

for i in range(8):
row = [EMPTY for i in range(8)]
board.append(row)

board[0][0] = ROOK
board[0][7] = ROOK
board[7][0] = ROOK
board[7][7] = ROOK

pprint(board)

[['ROOK', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', 'ROOK'],

['-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-'],
['-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-'],
['-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-'],
['-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-'],
['-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-'],
['-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-'],
['ROOK', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', '-', 'ROOK']]

Multidimensional nature of lists: advanced applications

Let's go deeper into the multidimensional nature of lists. To find any element of a two-
dimensional list, you have to use two coordinates:

 a vertical one (row number)

 and a horizontal one (column number).

Imagine that you develop a piece of software for an automatic weather station. The device
records the air temperature on an hourly basis and does it throughout the month. This gives
you a total of 24 × 31 = 744 values. Let's try to design a list capable of storing all these
results.

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First, you have to decide which data type would be adequate for this application. In this
case, a  float  would be best, since this thermometer is able to measure the temperature
with an accuracy of 0.1 ℃.

Then you take an arbitrary decision that the rows will record the readings every hour on the
hour (so the row will have 24 elements) and each of the rows will be assigned to one day of
the month (let's assume that each month has 31 days, so you need 31 rows). Here's the
appropriate pair of comprehensions ( h  is for hour,  d  for day):

temps = [[0.0 for h in range(24)] for d in range(31)]

The whole matrix is filled with zeros now. You can assume that it's updated automatically
using special hardware agents. The thing you have to do is to wait for the matrix to be filled
with measurements.

Now it's time to determine the monthly average noon temperature. Add up all 31 readings
recorded at noon and divide the sum by 31. You can assume that the midnight temperature
is stored first. Here's the relevant code:

temps = [[0.0 for h in range(24)] for d in range(31)]

#
# The matrix is magically updated here.
#

total = 0.0

for day in temps:

total += day[11]

average = total / 31

print ("Average temperature at noon:", average)

Note: the  day  variable used by the  for  loop is not a scalar - each pass through
the  temps  matrix assigns it with the subsequent rows of the matrix; hence, it's a list. It has
to be indexed with  11  to access the temperature value measured at noon.

Now find the highest temperature during the whole month - see the code:

temps = [[0.0 for h in range(24)] for d in range(31)]

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#
# The matrix is magically updated here.
#

highest = -100.0

for day in temps:

for temp in day:
if temp > highest:
highest = temp

print ("The highest temperature was:", highest)

Note:

 the  day  variable iterates through all the rows in the  temps  matrix;
 the  temp  variable iterates through all the measurements taken in one day.

Now count the days when the temperature at noon was at least 20 ℃:

temps = [[0.0 for h in range(24)] for d in range(31)]

#
# The matrix is magically updated here.
#

hot_days = 0

for day in temps:

if day[11] > 20.0:
hot_days += 1

print (hot_days, "days were hot.")

Three-dimensional arrays
Python does not limit the depth of list-in-list inclusion. Here you can see an example of a
three-dimensional array:

Imagine a hotel. It's a huge hotel consisting of three buildings, 15 floors each. There are 20
rooms on each floor. For this, you need an array which can collect and process information
on the occupied/free rooms.

First step - the type of the array's elements. In this case, a Boolean value ( True / False )
would fit.

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Step two - calm analysis of the situation. Summarize the available information: three
buildings, 15 floors, 20 rooms.

Now you can create the array:

rooms = [[[False for r in range(20)] for f in range(15)] for t in

range(3)]

The first index ( 0  through  2 ) selects one of the buildings; the second ( 0  through  14 ) selects
the floor, the third ( 0  through  19 ) selects the room number. All rooms are initially free.

Now you can book a room for two newlyweds: in the second building, on the tenth floor,
room 14:

rooms [1][9][13] = True

and release the second room on the fifth floor located in the first building:

rooms [0][4][1] = False

Check if there are any vacancies on the 15th floor of the third building:

vacancy = 0

for room_number in range(20):

if not rooms[2][14][room_number]:
vacancy += 1

The  vacancy  variable contains  0  if all the rooms are occupied, or the number of available
rooms otherwise.

Congratulations! You've made it to the end of the module. Keep up the good work!

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Key takeaways

1. List comprehension allows you to create new lists from existing ones in a concise and elegant way. The
syntax of a list comprehension looks as follows:

[expression for element in list if conditional]

which is actually an equivalent of the following code:

for element in list:

if conditional:
expression

Here's an example of a list comprehension - the code creates a five-element list filled with with the first
five natural numbers raised to the power of 3:

cubed = [num ** 3 for num in range(5)]

print (cubed) # outputs: [0, 1, 8, 27, 64]

2. You can use nested lists in Python to create matrices (i.e., two-dimensional lists). For example:

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# A four-column/four-row table - a two dimensional array (4x4)

table = [[":(", ":)", ":(", ":)"],

[":)", ":(", ":)", ":)"],
[":(", ":)", ":)", ":("],
[":)", ":)", ":)", ":("]]

print (table)
print (table[0][0]) # outputs: ':('
print (table[0][3]) # outputs: ':)'

3. You can nest as many lists in lists as you want, and therefore create n-dimensional lists, e.g., three-,
four- or even sixty-four-dimensional arrays. For example:

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# Cube - a three-dimensional array (3x3x3)

cube = [[[':(', 'x', 'x'],

[':)', 'x', 'x'],
[':(', 'x', 'x']],

[[':)', 'x', 'x'],

[':(', 'x', 'x'],
[':)', 'x', 'x']],

[[':(', 'x', 'x'],

[':)', 'x', 'x'],
[':)', 'x', 'x']]]

print (cube)
print (cube[0][0][0]) # outputs: ':('
print (cube[2][2][0]) # outputs: ':)'

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Why do we need functions?
You've come across functions many times so far, but the view on their merits that we have given you has
been rather one-sided. You've only invoked the functions by using them as tools to make life easier, and to
simplify time-consuming and tedious tasks.

When you want some data to be printed on the console, you use  print() . When you want to read the
value of a variable, you use  input() , coupled with either  int()  or  float() .

You've also made use of some methods, which are in fact functions, but declared in a very specific way.

Now you'll learn how to write your own functions, and how to use them. We'll write several functions
together, from the very simple to the rather complex, which will require your focus and attention.

It often happens that a particular piece of code is repeated many times in your program. It's repeated
either literally, or with only a few minor modifications, consisting of the use of other variables in the same
algorithm. It also happens that a programmer cannot resist simplifying the work, and begins to clone such
pieces of code using the clipboard and copy-paste operations.

It could end up as greatly frustrating when suddenly it turns out that there was an error in the cloned code.
The programmer will have a lot of drudgery to find all the places that need corrections. There's also a high
risk of the corrections causing errors.

We can now define the first condition which can help you decide when to start writing your own
functions: if a particular fragment of the code begins to appear in more than one place, consider the
possibility of isolating it in the form of a function invoked from the points where the original code was
placed before.

It may happen that the algorithm you're going to implement is so complex that your code begins to grow in
an uncontrolled manner, and suddenly you notice that you're not able to navigate through it so easily
anymore.

You can try to cope with the issue by commenting the code extensively, but soon you find that this
dramatically worsens your situation - too many comments make the code larger and harder to read.
Some say that a well-written function should be viewed entirely in one glance.

A good and attentive developer divides the code (or more accurately: the problem) into well-isolated
pieces, and encodes each of them in the form of a function.

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This considerably simplifies the work of the program, because each piece of code can be encoded
separately, and tested separately. The process described here is often called decomposition.

We can now state the second condition: if a piece of code becomes so large that reading and
understating it may cause a problem, consider dividing it into separate, smaller problems, and
implement each of them in the form of a separate function.

This decomposition continues until you get a set of short functions, easy to understand and test.

Decomposition
It often happens that the problem is so large and complex that it cannot be assigned to a single developer,
and a team of developers have to work on it. The problem must be split between several developers in a
way that ensures their efficient and seamless cooperation.

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It seems inconceivable that more than one programmer should write the same piece of code at the same
time, so the job has to be dispersed among all the team members.

This kind of decomposition has a different purpose to the one described previously - it's not only
about sharing the work, but also about sharing the responsibility among many developers.

Each of them writes a clearly defined and described set of functions, which when combined into the
module (we'll tell you about this a bit later) will give the final product.

This leads us directly to the third condition: if you're going to divide the work among multiple
programmers, decompose the problem to allow the product to be implemented as a set of separately
written functions packed together in different modules.

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Where do the functions come from?
In general, functions come from at least three places:

 from Python itself - numerous functions (like  print() ) are an integral part of Python, and are
always available without any additional effort on behalf of the programmer; we call these
functions built-in functions;
 from Python's preinstalled modules - a lot of functions, very useful ones, but used significantly
less often than built-in ones, are available in a number of modules installed together with Python;
the use of these functions requires some additional steps from the programmer in order to make
them fully accessible (we'll tell you about this in a while);
 directly from your code - you can write your own functions, place them inside your code, and
use them freely;
 there is one other possibility, but it's connected with classes, so we'll omit it for now.

Your first function

Take a look at the snippet in the editor.

It's rather simple, but we only want it to be an example of transforming a repeating part
of a code into a function.

The messages sent to the console by the  print()  function are always the same. Of course,
there's nothing really bad in such a code, but try to imagine what you would have to do if
your boss asked you to change the message to make it more polite, e.g., to start it with the
phrase  "Please," .

It seems that you'd have to spend some time changing all the occurrences of the message
(you'd use a clipboard, of course, but it wouldn't make your life much easier). It's obvious

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that you'd probably make some mistakes during the amendment process, and you (and
your boss) would get a bit frustrated.

Is it possible to separate such a repeatable part of the code, name it and make it reusable? It
would mean that a change made once in one place would be propagated to all the
places where it's used.

Of course, such a code should work only when it's explicitly launched.

Yes, it's possible. This is exactly what functions are for.

Your first function

How do you make such a function?

You need to define it. The word define is significant here.

This is what the simplest function definition looks like:

def function_name():
function_body

 It always starts with the keyword  def  (for define)

 next after  def  goes the name of the function (the rules for naming functions are
exactly the same as for naming variables)
 after the function name, there's a place for a pair of parentheses (they contain
nothing here, but that will change soon)
 the line has to be ended with a colon;
 the line directly after  def  begins the function body - a couple (at least one) of
necessarily nested instructions, which will be executed every time the function is
invoked; note: the function ends where the nesting ends, so you have to be
careful.

We're ready to define our prompting function. We'll name it  message  - here it is:

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

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The function is extremely simple, but fully usable. We've named it  message , but you can
label it according to your taste. Let's use it.

Our code contains the function definition now:

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

print ("We start here.")

print ("We end here.")

Note: we don't use the function at all - there's no invocation of it inside the code.

When you run it, you see the following output:

We start here.
We end here.

output

This means that Python reads the function's definitions and remembers them, but won't
launch any of them without your permission.

We've modified the code now - we've inserted the function's invocation between the start
and end messages:

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

print("We start here.")

message()
print("We end here.")

The output looks different now:

We start here.

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Enter a value:
We end here.

output

Test the code, modify it, experiment with it.

How functions work

Look at the picture below:

It tries to show you the whole process:

 when you invoke a function, Python remembers the place where it happened and jumps into the
invoked function;
 the body of the function is then executed;
 reaching the end of the function forces Python to return to the place directly after the point of
invocation.

There are two, very important, catches. Here's the first of them:

You mustn't invoke a function which is not known at the moment of invocation.

Remember - Python reads your code from top to bottom. It's not going to look ahead in order to find a
function you forgot to put in the right place ("right" means "before invocation".)

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We've inserted an error into this code - can you see the difference?

print("We start here.")

message()
print("We end here.")

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

We've moved the function to the end of the code. Is Python able to find it when the execution reaches the
invocation?

No, it isn't. The error message will read:

NameError: name 'message' is not defined

output

Don't try to force Python to look for functions you didn't deliver at the right time.

The second catch sounds a little simpler:

You mustn't have a function and a variable of the same name.

The following snippet is erroneous:

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

message = 1

Assigning a value to the name message causes Python to forget its previous role. The function
named  message  becomes unavailable.

Fortunately, you're free to mix your code with functions - you're not obliged to put all your functions at
the top of your source file.

Look at the snippet:

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print ("We start here.")

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

message ()

print ("We end here.")

It may look strange, but it's completely correct, and works as intended.

Let's return to our primary example, and employ the function for the right job, like here:

def message():
print("Enter a value: ")

message ()
a = int(input())
message ()
b = int(input())
message ()
c = int(input())

Modifying the prompting message is now easy and clear - you can do it by changing the code in just one
place - inside the function's body.

Open the sandbox, and try to do it yourself.

Key takeaways

1. A function is a block of code that performs a specific task when the function is called (invoked). You
can use functions to make your code reusable, better organized, and more readable. Functions can have
parameters and return values.

2. There are at least four basic types of functions in Python:

 built-in functions which are an integral part of Python (such as the  print()  function). You can
see a complete list of Python built-in functions at https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html.

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  the ones that come from pre-installed modules (you'll learn about them in the Python Essentials
2 course)
 user-defined functions which are written by users for users - you can write your own functions
and use them freely in your code,
 the  lambda  functions (you'll learn about them in the Python Essentials 2 course.)

3. You can define your own function using the  def  keyword and the following syntax:

def your_function(optional parameters):

# the body of the function

You can define a function which doesn't take any arguments, e.g.:

def message(): # defining a function

print("Hello") # body of the function

message() # calling the function

You can define a function which takes arguments, too, just like the one-parameter function below:

def hello(name): # defining a function

print("Hello,", name) # body of the function

name = input("Enter your name: ")

hello(name) # calling the function

We'll tell you more about parametrized functions in the next section. Don't worry.

Exercise 1

The  input()  function is an example of a:

a) user-defined function
b) built-in function

Check

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b - it's a built-in function

Exercise 2

What happens when you try to invoke a function before you define it? Example:

hi()

def hi():
print("hi!")

Check

An exception is thrown (the  NameError  exception to be more precise)

Exercise 3

What will happen when you run the code below?

def hi():
print("hi")

hi(5)

Check

An exception will be thrown (the  TypeError  exception to be more precise) - the  hi()  function doesn't
take any arguments

Parameterized functions
The function's full power reveals itself when it can be equipped with an interface that is able to accept data
provided by the invoker. Such data can modify the function's behavior, making it more flexible and
adaptable to changing conditions.

A parameter is actually a variable, but there are two important factors that make parameters different and
special:

 parameters exist only inside functions in which they have been defined, and the only place
where the parameter can be defined is a space between a pair of parentheses in the  def  statement;

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  assigning a value to the parameter is done at the time of the function's invocation, by
specifying the corresponding argument.
def function(parameter):
###

Don't forget:

 parameters live inside functions (this is their natural environment)

 arguments exist outside functions, and are carriers of values passed to corresponding
parameters.

There is a clear and unambiguous frontier between these two worlds.

Let's enrich the function above with just one parameter - we're going to use it to show the user the number
of a value the function asks for.

We have to rebuild the  def  statement - this is how it looks now:

def message(number):
###

The definition specifies that our function operates on just one parameter named  number . You can use it as
an ordinary variable, but only inside the function - it isn't visible anywhere else.

Let's now improve the function's body:

def message(number):
print("Enter a number:", number)

We've made use of the parameter. Note: we haven't assigned the parameter with any value. Is it correct?

Yes, it is.

A value for the parameter will arrive from the function's environment.

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Remember: specifying one or more parameters in a function's definition is also a requirement, and you
have to fulfil it during invocation. You must provide as many arguments as there are defined
parameters.

Failure to do so will cause an error.

Parametrized functions: continued

Try to run the code in the editor.

This is what you'll see in the console:

TypeError: message() missing 1 required positional argument: 'number'

output

This looks better, for sure:

def message(number):
print("Enter a number:", number)

message(1)

Moreover, it behaves better. The code will produce the following output:

Enter a number: 1

output

Can you see how it works? The value of the argument used during invocation ( 1 ) has been
passed into the function, setting the initial value of the parameter named  number .

We have to make you sensitive to one important circumstance.

It's legal, and possible, to have a variable named the same as a function's parameter.

The snippet illustrates the phenomenon:

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def message(number):
print("Enter a number:", number)

number = 1234
message(1)
print(number)

A situation like this activates a mechanism called shadowing:

 parameter  x  shadows any variable of the same name, but...

 ... only inside the function defining the parameter.

The parameter named  number  is a completely different entity from the variable
named  number .

This means that the snippet above will produce the following output:

Enter a number: 1
1234

output

Parametrized functions: continued

A function can have as many parameters as you want, but the more parameters you
have, the harder it is to memorize their roles and purposes.

Let's modify the function - it has two parameters now:

def message(what, number):

print("Enter", what, "number", number)

This also means that invoking the function will require two arguments.

The first new parameter is intended to carry the name of the desired value.

Here it is:

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def message(what, number):
print("Enter", what, "number", number)

message ("telephone", 11)

message ("price", 5)
message ("number", "number")

This is the output you're about to see:

Enter telephone number 11

Enter price number 5
Enter number number number

output

Run the code, modify it, add more parameters, and see how this affects the output.

Positional parameter passing

A technique which assigns the ith (first, second, and so on) argument to the ith (first, second,
and so on) function parameter is called positional parameter passing, while arguments
passed in this way are named positional arguments.

You've used it already, but Python can offer a lot more. We're going to tell you about it now.

def my_function(a, b, c):

print(a, b, c)

my_function (1, 2, 3)

Note: positional parameter passing is intuitively used by people in many social occasions.
For example, it may be generally accepted that when we introduce ourselves we mention
our first name(s) before our last name, e.g., "My name's John Doe."

Incidentally, Hungarians do it in reverse order.

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Let's implement that social custom in Python. The following function will be responsible for
introducing somebody:

def introduction(first_name, last_name):

print("Hello, my name is", first_name, last_name)

introduction ("Luke", "Skywalker")

introduction ("Jesse", "Quick")
introduction ("Clark", "Kent")

Can you guess the output? Run the code and find out if you were right.

Now imagine that the same function is being used in Hungary. In this case, the code would
look like this:
def introduction(first_name, last_name):
print("Hello, my name is", first_name, last_name)

introduction ("Skywalker", "Luke")

introduction ("Quick", "Jesse")
introduction ("Kent", "Clark")

The output will look different. Can you guess it?

Run the code to see if you were right here, too. Are you surprised?

Can you make the function more culture-independent?

Keyword argument passing

Python offers another convention for passing arguments, where the meaning of the
argument is dictated by its name, not by its position - it's called keyword argument
passing.

Take a look at the snippet:

def introduction(first_name, last_name):

print("Hello, my name is", first_name, last_name)

introduction (first_name = "James", last_name = "Bond")

introduction (last_name = "Skywalker", first_name = "Luke")

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The concept is clear - the values passed to the parameters are preceded by the target
parameters' names, followed by the  =  sign.

The position doesn't matter here - each argument's value knows its destination on the basis
of the name used.

You should be able to predict the output. Run the code to check if you were right.

Of course, you mustn't use a non-existent parameter name.

The following snippet will cause a runtime error:

def introduction(first_name, last_name):

print("Hello, my name is", first_name, last_name)

introduction(surname="Skywalker", first_name="Luke")

This is what Python will tell you:

TypeError: introduction() got an unexpected keyword argument 'surname'

output

Try it out yourself.

Mixing positional and keyword arguments

You can mix both fashions if you want - there is only one unbreakable rule: you have to
put positional arguments before keyword arguments.

If you think for a moment, you'll certainly guess why.

To show you how it works, we'll use the following simple three-parameter function:

def adding(a, b, c):

print(a, "+", b, "+", c, "=", a + b + c)

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Its purpose is to evaluate and present the sum of all its arguments.

The function, when invoked in the following way:

adding (1, 2, 3)

will output:

1 + 2 + 3 = 6

output

It was - as you may suspect - a pure example of positional argument passing.

Of course, you can replace such an invocation with a purely keyword variant, like this:

adding (c = 1, a = 2, b = 3)

Our program will output a line like this:

2 + 3 + 1 = 6

output

Note the order of the values.

Let's try to mix both styles now.

Look at the function invocation below:

adding (3, c = 1, b = 2)

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Let's analyze it:

 the argument ( 3 ) for the  a  parameter is passed using the positional way;
 the arguments for  c  and  b  are specified as keyword ones.

This is what you'll see in the console:

3 + 2 + 1 = 6

output

Be careful, and beware of mistakes. If you try to pass more than one value to one argument,
all you'll get is a runtime error.

Look at the invocation below - it seems that we've tried to set  a  twice:

adding(3, a = 1, b = 2)

Python's response:

TypeError: adding() got multiple values for argument 'a'

output

Look at the snipet below. A code like this is fully correct, but it doesn't make much sense:

adding (4, 3, c = 2)

Everything is right, but leaving in just one keyword argument looks a bit weird - what do you
think?

Parametrized functions - more details

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It happens at times that a particular parameter's values are in use more often than others.
Such arguments may have their default (predefined) values taken into consideration when
their corresponding arguments have been omitted.

They say that the most popular English last name is Smith. Let's try to take this into account.

The default parameter's value is set using clear and pictorial syntax:

def introduction(first_name, last_name="Smith"):

print("Hello, my name is", first_name, last_name)

You only have to extend the parameter's name with the  =  sign, followed by the default
value.

Let's invoke the function as usual:

introduction ("James", "Doe")

Can you guess the output of the program? Run it and check if you were right.

And? Everything looks the same, but when you invoke the function in a way that looks a bit
suspicious at first sight, like this:

introduction ("Henry")

or this:

introduction (first_name="William")

there will be no error, and both invocations will succeed, while the console will show the
following output:

Hello, my name is Henry Smith

Hello, my name is William Smith

output

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Test it.

You can go further if it's useful. Both parameters have their default values now, look at the
code below:

def introduction(first_name="John", last_name="Smith"):

print("Hello, my name is", first_name, last_name)

This makes the following invocation absolutely valid:

introduction ()

And this is the expected output:

Hello, my name is John Smith

output

If you use one keyword argument, the remaining one will take the default value:

introduction (last_name="Hopkins")

The output is:

Hello, my name is John Hopkins

output

Test it.

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Congratulations - you have just learned the basic ways of communicating with functions.

Key takeaways
1. You can pass information to functions by using parameters. Your functions can have as many
parameters as you need.

An example of a one-parameter function:

def hi(name):
print("Hi,", name)

hi ("Greg")

An example of a two-parameter function:

def hi_all(name_1, name_2):

print("Hi,", name_2)
print("Hi,", name_1)

hi_all ("Sebastian", "Konrad")

An example of a three-parameter function:

def address(street, city, postal_code):

print("Your address is:", street, "St.,", city, postal_code)

s = input("Street: ")
p_c = input("Postal Code: ")
c = input("City: ")

address (s, c, p_c)

2. You can pass arguments to a function using the following techniques:

 positional argument passing in which the order of arguments passed matters (Ex. 1),
 keyword (named) argument passing in which the order of arguments passed doesn't matter (Ex.
2),
 a mix of positional and keyword argument passing (Ex. 3).
Ex . 1

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def subtra(a, b):
print(a - b)

subtra (5, 2) # outputs: 3

subtra (2, 5) # outputs: -3

Ex . 2
def subtra(a, b):
print(a - b)

subtra (a=5, b=2) # outputs: 3

subtra (b=2, a=5) # outputs: 3

Ex . 3
def subtra(a, b):
print(a - b)

subtra (5, b=2) # outputs: 3

subtra (5, 2) # outputs: 3

It's important to remember that positional arguments mustn't follow keyword arguments. That's why if
you try to run the following snippet:

def subtra(a, b):

print(a - b)

subtra(5, b=2) # outputs: 3

subtra(a=5, 2) # Syntax Error

Python will not let you do it by signalling a  SyntaxError .

3. You can use the keyword argument passing technique to pre-define a value for a given argument:

def name(first_name, last_name="Smith"):

print(first_name, last_name)

name ("Andy") # outputs: Andy Smith

name ("Betty", "Johnson") # outputs: Betty Johnson (the keyword
argument replaced by "Johnson")

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Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

def intro(a="James Bond", b="Bond"):

print("My name is", b + ".", a + ".")

intro()

Check

My name is Bond. James Bond.

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

def intro(a="James Bond", b="Bond"):

print("My name is", b + ".", a + ".")

intro(b="Sean Connery")

Check

My name is Sean Connery. James Bond.

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

def intro(a, b="Bond"):

print("My name is", b + ".", a + ".")

intro("Susan")

Check

My name is Bond. Susan.

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Exercise 4

What is the output of the following snippet?

def add_numbers(a, b=2, c):

print(a + b + c)

add_numbers(a=1, c=3)

Check

SyntaxError  - a non-default argument ( c ) follows a default argument ( b=2 )

Effects and results: the return instruction

All the previously presented functions have some kind of effect - they produce some text and send it to the
console.

Of course, functions - like their mathematical siblings - may have results.

To get functions to return a value (but not only for this purpose) you use the  return  instruction.

This word gives you a full picture of its capabilities. Note: it's a Python keyword.

The  return  instruction has two different variants - let's consider them separately.

return without an expression
The first consists of the keyword itself, without anything following it.

When used inside a function, it causes the immediate termination of the function's execution, and an
instant return (hence the name) to the point of invocation.

Note: if a function is not intended to produce a result, using the  return  instruction is not obligatory - it
will be executed implicitly at the end of the function.

Anyway, you can use it to terminate a function's activities on demand, before the control reaches the
function's last line.

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Let's consider the following function:

def happy_new_year(wishes = True):

print("Three...")
print("Two...")
print("One...")
if not wishes:
return

print("Happy New Year!")

When invoked without any arguments:

happy_new_year ()

The function causes a little noise - the output will look like this:

Three...
Two...
One...
Happy New Year!

output

Providing  False  as an argument:

happy_new_year (False)

will modify the function's behavior - the  return  instruction will cause its termination just before the
wishes - this is the updated output:

Three...
Two...
One...

output

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return with an expression
The second  return  variant is extended with an expression:

def function():
return expression

There are two consequences of using it:

 it causes the immediate termination of the function's execution (nothing new compared to the

first variant)
 moreover, the function will evaluate the expression's value and will return (hence the name
once again) it as the function's result.

Yes, we already know - this example isn't really sophisticated:

def boring_function():
return 123

x = boring_function()

print ("The boring_function has returned its result. It's:", x)

The snippet writes the following text to the console:

The boring_function has returned its result. It's: 123

Let's investigate it for a while.

Analyze the figure

below: 

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The  return  instruction, enriched with the expression (the expression is very simple here), "transports"
the expression's value to the place where the function has been invoked.

The result may be freely used here, e.g., to be assigned to a variable.

It may also be completely ignored and lost without a trace.

Note, we're not being too polite here - the function returns a value, and we ignore it (we don't use it in any
way):

def boring_function():
print("'Boredom Mode' ON.")
return 123

print ("This lesson is interesting!")

boring_function ()
print ("This lesson is boring...")

The program produces the following output:

This lesson is interesting!

'Boredom Mode' ON.
This lesson is boring...

output

Is it punishable? Not at all.

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The only disadvantage is that the result has been irretrievably lost.

Don't forget:

 you are always allowed to ignore the function's result, and be satisfied with the function's effect
(if the function has any)
 if a function is intended to return a useful result, it must contain the second variant of
the  return  instruction.

Wait a minute - does this mean that there are useless results, too? Yes - in some sense.

A few words about None

Let us introduce you to a very curious value (to be honest, a none value) named  None .

Its data doesn't represent any reasonable value - actually, it's not a value at all; hence,
it mustn't take part in any expressions.

For example, a snippet like this:

print(None + 2)

will cause a runtime error, described by the following diagnostic message:

TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: 'NoneType' and 'int'

output

Note:  None  is a keyword.

There are only two kinds of circumstances when  None  can be safely used:

 when you assign it to a variable (or return it as a function's result)

 when you compare it with a variable to diagnose its internal state.

Just like here:

value = None
if value is None:
print("Sorry, you don't carry any value")

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Don't forget this: if a function doesn't return a certain value using a  return  expression
clause, it is assumed that it implicitly returns  None .

Let's test it.

def a():
print("Returning None")
x = a()
print(x)

Returning None
None

A few words about None: continued

Take a look at the code in the editor.

It's obvious that the  strangeFunction  function returns  True  when its argument is even.

def strange_function(n):

if(n % 2 == 0):

return True

What does it return otherwise?

We can use the following code to check it:

print (strange_function(2))
print (strange_function(1))

This is what we see in the console:

True
None

output

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Don't be surprised next time you see  None  as a function result - it may be the symptom of a
subtle mistake inside the function.

Effects and results: lists and functions

There are two additional questions that should be answered here.

The first is: may a list be sent to a function as an argument?

Of course it may! Any entity recognizable by Python can play the role of a function
argument, although it has to be assured that the function is able to cope with it.

So, if you pass a list to a function, the function has to handle it like a list.

A function like this one here:

def list_sum(lst):
s = 0

for elem in lst:

s += elem

return s

and invoked like this:

print (list_sum([5, 4, 3]))

will return  12  as a result, but you should expect problems if you invoke it in this risky way:

print(list_sum(5))

Python's response will be unequivocal:

TypeError: 'int' object is not iterable

output

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This is caused by the fact that a single integer value mustn't be iterated through by
the  for  loop.

Effects and results: lists and functions - continued

The second question is: may a list be a function result?

Yes, of course! Any entity recognizable by Python can be a function result.

Look at the code in the editor. The program's output will be like this:

[4, 3, 2, 1, 0]

output

Now you can write functions with and without results.

Let's dive a little deeper into the issues connected with variables in functions. This is
essential for creating effective and safe functions.

def strange_list_fun(n):
strange_list = []

for i in range(0, n):

strange_list.insert(0, i)

return strange_list

print(strange_list_fun(5))

Estimated time
10-15 minutes

Level of difficulty
Easy

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Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 projecting and writing parameterized functions;

 utilizing the return statement;
 testing the functions.

Scenario
Your task is to write and test a function which takes one argument (a year) and
returns  True  if the year is a leap year, or  False  otherwise.

The seed of the function is already sown in the skeleton code in the editor.

Note: we've also prepared a short testing code, which you can use to test your function.

The code uses two lists - one with the test data, and the other containing the expected
results. The code will tell you if any of your results are invalid.

def is_year_leap(year):
if year % 4 != 0:
return False
elif year % 100 != 0:
return True
elif year % 400 != 0:
return False
else:
return True

test_data = [1900, 2000, 2016, 1987]

test_results = [False, True, True, False]
for i in range(len(test_data)):
yr = test_data[i]
print(yr,"->",end="")
result = is_year_leap(yr)
if result == test_results[i]:
print("OK")
else:
print("Failed")

1900 ->OK
2000 ->OK
2016 ->OK
1987 ->OK

Estimated time
15-20 minutes

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Level of difficulty
Medium

Prerequisites
LAB 4.3.1.6

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 projecting and writing parameterized functions;

 utilizing the return statement;
 utilizing the student's own functions.

Scenario
Your task is to write and test a function which takes two arguments (a year and a month)
and returns the number of days for the given month/year pair (while only February is
sensitive to the  year  value, your function should be universal).

The initial part of the function is ready. Now, convince the function to return  None  if its
arguments don't make sense.

Of course, you can (and should) use the previously written and tested function (LAB 4.3.1.6).
It may be very helpful. We encourage you to use a list filled with the months' lengths. You
can create it inside the function - this trick will significantly shorten the code.

We've prepared a testing code. Expand it to include more test cases.

def is_year_leap(year):
if year % 4 != 0:
return False
elif year % 100 != 0:
return True
elif year % 400 != 0:
return False
else:
return True

def days_in_month(year, month):

if month == 2:
if is_year_leap(year):
return 29
else:
return 28
elif month > 12:

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 print("Incorrect entry")
exit()
elif month in [4,6,9,11]:
return 30
else:
return 31

test_years = [1900, 2000, 2016, 1987]

test_months = [2, 2, 1, 11]
test_results = [28, 29, 31, 30]
for i in range(len(test_years)):
yr = test_years[i]
mo = test_months[i]
print(yr, mo, "->", end="")
result = days_in_month(yr, mo)
if result == test_results[i]:
print("OK")
else:
print("Failed")

1900 2 ->OK
2000 2 ->OK
2016 1 ->OK
1987 11 ->OK

Estimated time
20-30 minutes

Level of difficulty
Medium

Prerequisites
LAB 4.3.1.6
LAB 4.3.1.7

Objectives
Familiarize the student with:

 projecting and writing parameterized functions;

 utilizing the return statement;
 building a set of utility functions;
 utilizing the student's own functions.

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Scenario
Your task is to write and test a function which takes three arguments (a year, a month, and a
day of the month) and returns the corresponding day of the year, or returns  None  if any of
the arguments is invalid.

Use the previously written and tested functions. Add some test cases to the code. This test is
only a beginning.

def is_year_leap(year):
if year % 4 != 0:
return False
elif year % 100 != 0:
return True
elif year % 400 != 0:
return False
else:
return True

def days_in_month(year, month):

if month == 2:
if is_year_leap(year):
return 29
else:
return 28
elif month > 12:
print("Invalid input")
exit()
elif month in [4,6,9,11]:
return 30
else:
return 31

def day_of_year(year, month, day):

Tdate = 19
Tmon = 7
Tyear = 2021
Tday = "Mon"
Wday = ["Mon","Tue","wed","Thu","Fri","Sat","Sun"]
Yrdays = 0
Mndays = 0
TotDays = 0
for yr in range(year+1,Tyear):
if is_year_leap(yr):
Yrdays += 366
else:
Yrdays += 365
if year != Tyear:

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 for Mn in range(1,Tmon):
Mndays += days_in_month(year, Mn)
for Mn in range(month+1,13):
Mndays += days_in_month(year, Mn)
TotDays = Yrdays + Mndays + Tdate + (days_in_month(year,month)-day)
else:
if month > Tmon:
for Mn in range(Tmon,month+1)
Mndays += days_in_month(year, Mn)
elif Tmon > month:
for Mn in range(month+1,Tmon):
Mndays += days_in_month(year, Mn)
TotDays = Mndays + Tdate + (days_in_month(year,month)-day)
else:
if Tdate > day:
TotDays = Tdate - day
else:
TotDays = day - Tdate
print (TotDays)

print(day_of_year(2021, 6, 10))

Estimated time
15-20 minutes

Level of difficulty
Medium

Objectives
 familiarizing the student with classic notions and algorithms;
 improving the student's skills in defining and using functions.

Scenario
A natural number is  prime  if it is greater than 1 and has no divisors other than 1 and itself.

Complicated? Not at all. For example, 8 isn't a prime number, as you can divide it by 2 and 4
(we can't use divisors equal to 1 and 8, as the definition prohibits this).

On the other hand, 7 is a prime number, as we can't find any legal divisors for it.

Your task is to write a function checking whether a number is prime or not.

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The function:

 is called  is_prime ;
 takes one argument (the value to check)
 returns  True  if the argument is a prime number, and  False  otherwise.

Hint: try to divide the argument by all subsequent values (starting from 2) and check the
remainder - if it's zero, your number cannot be a prime; think carefully about when you
should stop the process.

If you need to know the square root of any value, you can utilize the  **  operator.
Remember: the square root of x is the same as x0.5

Complete the code in the editor.

Run your code and check whether your output is the same as ours.

Expected output
2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19

def is_prime(num):
if num < 4:
return True
else:
for i in range(2,num-1):
if num % i == 0:
return False
return True

for i in range(1, 20):

if i == 1:
continue
elif i == 2 or i == 3:
print(i,end=" ")
elif is_prime(i):
print(i,end=" ")

2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19

Estimated time
10-15 minutes

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Level of difficulty
Easy

Objectives
 improving the student's skills in defining, using and testing functions.

Scenario
A car's fuel consumption may be expressed in many different ways. For example, in Europe,
it is shown as the amount of fuel consumed per 100 kilometers.

In the USA, it is shown as the number of miles traveled by a car using one gallon of fuel.

Your task is to write a pair of functions converting l/100km into mpg, and vice versa.

The functions:

 are
named  liters_100km_to_miles_gallon  and  miles_gallon_to_liters_100km  re
spectively;
 take one argument (the value corresponding to their names)

Complete the code in the editor.

Run your code and check whether your output is the same as ours.

Here is some information to help you:

 1 American mile = 1609.344 metres;

 1 American gallon = 3.785411784 litres.

Expected output
60.31143162393162

31.36194444444444

23.52145833333333

3.9007393587617467

7.490910297239916

10.009131205673757

Key takeaways

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1. You can use the  return  keyword to tell a function to return some value. The  return  statement exits
the function, e.g.:

def multiply(a, b):

return a * b

print (multiply(3, 4)) # outputs: 12

def multiply(a, b):

return

print (multiply(3, 4)) # outputs: None

2. The result of a function can be easily assigned to a variable, e.g.:

def wishes():
return "Happy Birthday!"

w = wishes()

print(w) # outputs: Happy Birthday!

Look at the difference in output in the following two examples:

# Example 1
def wishes():
print("My Wishes")
return "Happy Birthday"

wishes () # outputs: My Wishes

# Example 2
def wishes():
print("My Wishes")
return "Happy Birthday"

print (wishes())

# outputs: My Wishes
# Happy Birthday

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3. You can use a list as a function's argument, e.g.:

def hi_everybody(my_list):
for name in my_list:
print("Hi,", name)

hi_everybody (["Adam", "John", "Lucy"])

4. A list can be a function result, too, e.g.:

def create_list(n):
my_list = []
for i in range(n):
my_list.append(i)
return my_list

print (create_list(5))

Exercise 1

What is the output of the following snippet?

def hi():
return
print("Hi!")

hi()

Check

the function will return an implicit  None  value

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

def is_int(data):
if type(data) == int:
return True

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 elif type(data) == float:
return False

print(is_int(5))
print(is_int(5.0))
print(is_int("5"))

Check

True

False

None

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

def even_num_lst(ran):
lst = []
for num in range(ran):
if num % 2 == 0:
lst.append(num)
return lst

print(even_num_lst(11))

Check

[0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]

Exercise 4

What is the output of the following snippet?

def list_updater(lst):
upd_list = []
for elem in lst:
elem **= 2
upd_list.append(elem)
return upd_list

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foo = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(list_updater(foo))

Check

[1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

Functions and scopes

Let's start with a definition:

The scope of a name (e.g., a variable name) is the part of a code where the name is
properly recognizable.

For example, the scope of a function's parameter is the function itself. The parameter is
inaccessible outside the function.

Let's check it. Look at the code in the editor. What will happen when you run it?

The program will fail when run. The error message will read:

NameError: name 'x' is not defined

output

This is to be expected.

We're going to conduct some experiments with you to show you how Python constructs
scopes, and how you can use its habits to your benefit.

def scope_test():
x = 123

scope_test()
print(x)

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "main.py", line 6, in <module>
print(x)
NameError: name 'x' is not defined

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Functions and scopes: continued
Let's start by checking whether or not a variable created outside any function is visible
inside the functions. In other words, does a variable's name propagate into a function's
body?

Look at the code in the editor. Our guinea pig is there.

The result of the test is positive - the code outputs:

Do I know that variable? 1

1

output

The answer is: a variable existing outside a function has a scope inside the functions'
bodies.

This rule has a very important exception. Let's try to find it.

Let's make a small change to the code:

def my_function():
var = 2
print("Do I know that variable?", var)

var = 1
my_function()
print(var)

The result has changed, too - the code produces a slightly different output now:

Do I know that variable? 2

1

output

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What's happened?

 the  var  variable created inside the function is not the same as when defined outside
it - it seems that there two different variables of the same name;
 moreover, the function's variable shadows the variable coming from the outside
world.

We can make the previous rule more precise and adequate:

A variable existing outside a function has a scope inside the functions' bodies,
excluding those of them which define a variable of the same name.

It also means that the scope of a variable existing outside a function is supported only
when getting its value (reading). Assigning a value forces the creation of the function's
own variable.

Make sure you understand this well and carry out your own experiments.

def my_function():
print("Do I know that variable?", var)

var = 1
my_function()
print(var)

Do I know that variable? 1

1

Functions and scopes: the global keyword

Hopefully, you should now have arrived at the following question: does this mean that a
function is not able to modify a variable defined outside it? This would create a lot of
discomfort.

Fortunately, the answer is no.

There's a special Python method which can extend a variable's scope in a way which
includes the functions' bodies (even if you want not only to read the values, but also to
modify them).

Such an effect is caused by a keyword named  global :

global name
global name1, name2, ...

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Using this keyword inside a function with the name (or names separated with commas) of a
variable(s), forces Python to refrain from creating a new variable inside the function - the
one accessible from outside will be used instead.

In other words, this name becomes global (it has a global scope, and it doesn't matter
whether it's the subject of read or assign).

Look at the code in the editor.

We've added  global  to the function.

The code now outputs:

Do I know that variable? 2

2

output

This should be sufficient evidence to show that the  global  keyword does what it promises.

def my_function():
global var
var = 2
print("Do I know that variable?", var)

var = 1
my_function()
print(var)

Do I know that variable? 2

2

How the function interacts with its arguments

Now let's find out how the function interacts with its arguments.

The code in the editor should teach you something. As you can see, the function changes
the value of its parameter. Does the change affect the argument?

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Run the program and check.

The code's output is:

I got 1
I have 2
1

output

The conclusion is obvious - changing the parameter's value doesn't propagate outside
the function (in any case, not when the variable is a scalar, like in the example).

This also means that a function receives the argument's value, not the argument itself. This
is true for scalars.

Is it worth checking how it works with lists (do you recall the peculiarities of assigning list
slices versus assigning lists as a whole?).

The following example will shed some light on the issue:

def my_function(my_list_1):
print("Print #1:", my_list_1)
print("Print #2:", my_list_2)
my_list_1 = [0, 1]
print("Print #3:", my_list_1)
print("Print #4:", my_list_2)

my_list_2 = [2, 3]
my_function (my_list_2)
print ("Print #5:", my_list_2)

The code's output is:

Print #1: [2, 3]

Print #2: [2, 3]
Print #3: [0, 1]
Print #4: [2, 3]
Print #5: [2, 3]

output

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It seems that the former rule still works.

Finally, can you see the difference in the example below:

def my_function(my_list_1):
print("Print #1:", my_list_1)
print("Print #2:", my_list_2)
del my_list_1[0] # Pay attention to this line.
print("Print #3:", my_list_1)
print("Print #4:", my_list_2)

my_list_2 = [2, 3]
my_function (my_list_2)
print ("Print #5:", my_list_2)

We don't change the value of the parameter  my_list_1  (we already know it will not affect
the argument), but instead modify the list identified by it.

The output may be surprising. Run the code and check:

Print #1: [2, 3]

Print #2: [2, 3]
Print #3: [3]
Print #4: [3]
Print #5: [3]

output

Can you explain it?

Let's try:

 if the argument is a list, then changing the value of the corresponding parameter
doesn't affect the list (remember: variables containing lists are stored in a different
way than scalars),
 but if you change a list identified by the parameter (note: the list, not the
parameter!), the list will reflect the change.

It's time to write some example functions. You'll do that in the next section.

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Key takeaways

1. A variable that exists outside a function has a scope inside the function body (Example 1) unless the
function defines a variable of the same name (Example 2, and Example 3), e.g.:

Example 1:

var = 2

def mult_by_var(x):
return x * var

print(mult_by_var(7)) # outputs: 14

Example 2:

def mult(x):
var = 5
return x * var

print(mult(7)) # outputs: 35

Example 3:

def mult(x):
var = 7
return x * var

var = 3
print(mult(7)) # outputs: 49

2. A variable that exists inside a function has a scope inside the function body (Example 4), e.g.:

Example 4:

def adding(x):

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 var = 7
return x + var

print(adding(4)) # outputs: 11
print(var) # NameError

3. You can use the  global  keyword followed by a variable name to make the variable's scope global,
e.g.:

var = 2
print (var) # outputs: 2

def return_var():
global var
var = 5
return var

print (return_var()) # outputs: 5

print (var) # outputs: 5

Exercise 1

What will happen when you try to run the following code?

def message():
alt = 1
print("Hello, World!")

print(alt)

Check

The  NameError  exception will be thrown ( NameError: name 'alt' is not defined )

Exercise 2

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What is the output of the following snippet?

a = 1

def fun():
a = 2
print(a)

fun()
print(a)

Check

Exercise 3

What is the output of the following snippet?

a = 1

def fun():
global a
a = 2
print(a)

fun()
a = 3
print(a)

Check

Exercise 4

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What is the output of the following snippet?

a = 1

def fun():
global a
a = 2
print(a)

a = 3
fun()
print(a)

Check

Some simple functions: evaluating the BMI

Let's get started on a function to evaluate the Body Mass Index (BMI).

As you can see, the formula gets two values:

 weight (originally in kilograms)

 height (originally in meters)

It seems that this new function will have two parameters. Its name will be  bmi , but if you
prefer any other name, use it instead.

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Let's code the function:

def bmi(weight, height):

return weight / height ** 2

print(bmi(52.5, 1.65))

The result produced by the sample invocation looks as follows:

19.283746556473833

output

The function fulfils our expectations, but it's a bit simple - it assumes that the values of both
parameters are always meaningful. It's definitely worth checking if they're trustworthy.

Let's check them both and return  None  if any of them looks suspicious.

Some simple functions: evaluating BMI and converting

imperial units to metric units
Look at the code in the editor. There are two things we need to pay attention to.

First, the test invocation ensures that the protection works properly - the output is:

None

output

Second, take a look at the way the backslash ( \ ) symbol is used. If you use it in Python code
and end a line with it, it will tell Python to continue the line of code in the next line of code.

It can be particularly useful when you have to deal with long lines of code and you'd like to
improve code readability.

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Okay, but there's something we omitted too easily - the imperial measurements. This
function is not too useful for people accustomed to pounds, feet and inches.

What can be done for them?

We can write two simple functions to convert imperial units to metric ones. Let's start
with pounds.

It is a well-known fact that  1 lb = 0.45359237 kg . We'll use this in our new function.

This is our helper function, named  lb_to_kg :

def lb_to_kg(lb):
return lb * 0.45359237

print(lb_to_kg(1))

The result of the test invocation looks good:

0.45359237

output

And now it's time for feet and inches:  1 ft = 0.3048 m , and  1 in = 2.54 cm = 0.0254
m.

The function we've written is named  ft_and_inch_to_m :

def ft_and_inch_to_m(ft, inch):

return ft * 0.3048 + inch * 0.0254

print(ft_and_inch_to_m(1, 1))

The result of a quick test is:

0.3302

output

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It looks as expected.

Note: we wanted to name the second parameter just  in , not  inch , but we couldn't. Do you
know why?

in  is a Python keyword - it cannot be used as a name.

Let's convert six feet into meters:

print (ft_and_inch_to_m(6, 0))

And this is the output:

1.8288000000000002

output

It's quite possible that sometimes you may want to use just feet without inches. Will Python
help you? Of course it will.

We've modified the code a bit:

def ft_and_inch_to_m(ft, inch = 0.0):

return ft * 0.3048 + inch * 0.0254

print(ft_and_inch_to_m(6))

Now the  inch  parameter has its default value equal to  0.0 .

The code produces the following output - this is what is expected:

1.8288000000000002

output

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Finally, the code is able to answer the question: what is the BMI of a person 5'7" tall and
weighing 176 lbs?

This is the code we have built:

def ft_and_inch_to_m(ft, inch = 0.0):

return ft * 0.3048 + inch * 0.0254

def lb_to_kg(lb):
return lb * 0.45359237

def bmi(weight, height):

if height < 1.0 or height > 2.5 or weight < 20 or weight > 200:
return None

return weight / height ** 2

print (bmi(weight = lb_to_kg(176), height = ft_and_inch_to_m(5, 7)))

And the answer is:

27.565214082533313

output

Run the code and test it.

Some simple functions: continued

Let's play with triangles now. We'll start with a function to check whether three sides of
given lengths can build a triangle.

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We know from school that the sum of two arbitrary sides has to be longer than the third side.

It won't be a hard challenge. The function will have three parameters - one for each side.

It will return  True  if the sides can build a triangle, and  False  otherwise. In this
case,  is_a_triangle  is a good name for such a function.

Look at the code in the editor. You can find our function there. Run the program.

It seems that it works well - these are the results:

True
False

output

Can we make it more compact? It looks a bit wordy.

This is a more compact version:

def is_a_triangle(a, b, c):

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 if a + b <= c or b + c <= a or c + a <= b:
return False
return True

print (is_a_triangle(1, 1, 1))

print (is_a_triangle(1, 1, 3))

Can we compact it even more?

Yes, we can - look:

def is_a_triangle(a, b, c):

return a + b > c and b + c > a and c + a > b

print (is_a_triangle(1, 1, 1))

print (is_a_triangle(1, 1, 3))

We've negated the condition (reversed the relational operators and replaced  or s with  and s,
receiving a universal expression for testing triangles).

Let's install the function in a larger program. It'll ask the user for three values and make use
of the function.

Some simple functions: triangles and the Pythagorean

theorem
Look at the code in the editor. It asks the user for three values. Then it makes use of
the  is_a_triangle  function. The code is ready to run.

In the second step, we'll try to ensure that a certain triangle is a right-angle triangle.

We will need to make use of the Pythagorean theorem:

c2 = a2 + b2

How do we recognize which of the three sides is the hypotenuse?

The hypotenuse is the longest side.

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Here is the code:

def is_a_triangle(a, b, c):

return a + b > c and b + c > a and c + a > b

def is_a_right_triangle(a, b, c):

if not is_a_triangle(a, b, c):
return False
if c > a and c > b:
return c ** 2 == a ** 2 + b ** 2
if a > b and a > c:
return a ** 2 == b ** 2 + c ** 2

print (is_a_right_triangle(5, 3, 4))

print (is_a_right_triangle(1, 3, 4))

Look at how we test the relationship between the hypotenuse and the remaining sides - we
choose the longest side, and apply the Pythagorean theorem to check if everything is right.
This requires three checks in total.

Some simple functions: evaluating a triangle's area

We can also evaluate a triangle's area. Heron's formula will be handy here:

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We're going use the exponentiation operator to find the square root - it may seem strange,
but it works:

This is the resulting code:

def is_a_triangle(a, b, c):

return a + b > c and b + c > a and c + a > b

def heron(a, b, c):

p = (a + b + c) / 2
return (p * (p - a) * (p - b) * (p - c)) ** 0.5

def area_of_triangle(a, b, c):

if not is_a_triangle(a, b, c):
return None
return heron(a, b, c)

print(area_of_triangle(1., 1., 2. ** .5))

We try it with a right-angle triangle as a half of a square with one side equal to 1. This means
that its area should be equal to 0.5.

It's odd - the code produces the following output:

0.49999999999999983

output

It's very close to 0.5, but it isn't exactly 0.5. What does it mean? Is it an error?

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No, it isn't. This is the specifics of floating-point calculations. We'll tell you more about it
soon.

Some simple functions: factorials

Another function we're about to write is factorials. Do you remember how a factorial is
defined?

0! = 1 (yes! it's true)

1! = 1
2! = 1 * 2
3! = 1 * 2 * 3
4! = 1 * 2 * 3 * 4
:
:
n! = 1 * 2 ** 3 * 4 * ... * n-1 * n

It's marked with an exclamation mark, and is equal to the product of all natural numbers
from one up to its argument.

Let's write our code. We'll create a function and call it  factorial_function . Here is the
code:

def factorial_function(n):
if n < 0:
return None
if n < 2:
return 1

product = 1
for i in range(2, n + 1):
product *= i
return product

for n in range(1, 6): # testing

print(n, factorial_function(n))

Notice how we mirror step by step the mathematical definition, and how we use
the  for  loop to find the product.

We add a simple testing code, and these are the results we get:

1 1
2 2
3 6
4 24
5 120

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 output

Some simple functions: Fibonacci numbers

Are you familiar with Fibonacci numbers?

They are a sequence of integer numbers built using a very simple rule:

 the first element of the sequence is equal to one (Fib1 = 1)

 the second is also equal to one (Fib2 = 1)
 every subsequent number is the the_sum of the two preceding numbers:
(Fibi = Fibi-1 + Fibi-2)

Here are some of the first Fibonacci numbers:

fib_1 = 1
fib_2 = 1
fib_3 = 1 + 1 = 2
fib_4 = 1 + 2 = 3
fib_5 = 2 + 3 = 5
fib_6 = 3 + 5 = 8
fib_7 = 5 + 8 = 13

What do you think about implementing this as a function?

Let's create our  fib  function and test it. Here it is:

def fib(n):
if n < 1:
return None
if n < 3:
return 1

elem_1 = elem_2 = 1
the_sum = 0
for i in range(3, n + 1):
the_sum = elem_1 + elem_2
elem_1, elem_2 = elem_2, the_sum
return the_sum

for n in range(1, 10): # testing

print(n, "->", fib(n))

Analyze the  for  loop body carefully, and find out how we move
the  elem_1  and  elem_2  variables through the subsequent Fibonacci numbers.

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The test part of the code produces the following output:

1 -> 1
2 -> 1
3 -> 2
4 -> 3
5 -> 5
6 -> 8
7 -> 13
8 -> 21
9 -> 34

Some simple functions: recursion

There's one more thing we want to show you to make everything complete - it's recursion.

This term may describe many different concepts, but one of them is especially interesting -
the one referring to computer programming.

In this field, recursion is a technique where a function invokes itself.

These two cases seem to be the best to illustrate the phenomenon - factorials and Fibonacci
numbers. Especially the latter.

The Fibonacci numbers definition is a clear example of recursion. We already told you
that:

Fibi = Fibi-1 + Fibi-2

The definition of the ith number refers to the i-1 number, and so on, till you reach the first
two.

Can it be used in the code? Yes, it can. It can also make the code shorter and clearer.

The second version of our  fib()  function makes direct use of this definition:

def fib(n):
if n < 1:
return None
if n < 3:
return 1
return fib(n - 1) + fib(n - 2)

The code is much clearer now.

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But is it really safe? Does it entail any risk?

Yes, there is a little risk indeed. If you forget to consider the conditions which can stop
the chain of recursive invocations, the program may enter an infinite loop. You have to
be careful.

The factorial has a second, recursive side too. Look:

n! = 1 × 2 × 3 × ... × n-1 × n

It's obvious that:

1 × 2 × 3 × ... × n-1 = (n-1)!

So, finally, the result is:

n! = (n-1)! × n

This is in fact a ready recipe for our new solution.

Here it is:

def factorial_function(n):
if n < 0:
return None
if n < 2:
return 1
return n * factorial_function(n - 1)

Does it work? Yes, it does. Try it for yourself.

Our short functional journey is almost over. The next section will take care of two curious
Python data types: tuples and dictionaries.

Key takeaways

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1. A function can call other functions or even itself. When a function calls itself, this situation is known
as recursion, and the function which calls itself and contains a specified termination condition (i.e., the
base case - a condition which doesn't tell the function to make any further calls to that function) is called
a recursive function.

2. You can use recursive functions in Python to write clean, elegant code, and divide it into smaller,
organized chunks. On the other hand, you need to be very careful as it might be easy to make a mistake
and create a function which never terminates. You also need to remember that recursive calls consume
a lot of memory, and therefore may sometimes be inefficient.

When using recursion, you need to take all its advantages and disadvantages into consideration.

The factorial function is a classic example of how the concept of recursion can be put in practice:

# Recursive implementation of the factorial function.

def factorial(n):

if n == 1: # The base case (termination condition.)

return 1

else:

return n * factorial(n - 1)

print(factorial(4)) # 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 = 24

Exercise 1

What will happen when you attempt to run the following snippet and why?

def factorial(n):
return n * factorial(n - 1)

print(factorial(4))

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 Check

The factorial function has no termination condition (no base case) so Python will raise an exception
( RecursionError: maximum recursion depth exceeded )

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

def fun(a):
if a > 30:
return 3
else:
return a + fun(a + 3)

print(fun(25))

Check

56

Sequence types and mutability

Before we start talking about tuples and dictionaries, we have to introduce two important
concepts: sequence types and mutability.

A sequence type is a type of data in Python which is able to store more than one value (or less than
one, as a sequence may be empty), and these values can be sequentially (hence the name) browsed,
element by element.

As the  for  loop is a tool especially designed to iterate through sequences, we can express the definition
as: a sequence is data which can be scanned by the  for  loop.

You've encountered one Python sequence so far - the list. The list is a classic example of a Python
sequence, although there are some other sequences worth mentioning, and we're going to present them to
you now.

The second notion - mutability - is a property of any of Python's data that describes its readiness to be
freely changed during program execution. There are two kinds of Python data: mutable and immutable.

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Mutable data can be freely updated at any time - we call such an operation in situ.

In situ is a Latin phrase that translates as literally in position. For example, the following instruction
modifies the data in situ:

list .append(1)

Immutable data cannot be modified in this way.

Imagine that a list can only be assigned and read over. You would be able neither to append an element to
it, nor remove any element from it. This means that appending an element to the end of the list would
require the recreation of the list from scratch.

You would have to build a completely new list, consisting of the all elements of the already existing list,
plus the new element.

The data type we want to tell you about now is a tuple. A tuple is an immutable sequence type. It can
behave like a list, but it mustn't be modified in situ.

What is a tuple?
The first and the clearest distinction between lists and tuples is the syntax used to create them - tuples
prefer to use parenthesis, whereas lists like to see brackets, although it's also possible to create a tuple
just from a set of values separated by commas.

Look at the example:

tuple_1 = (1, 2, 4, 8)
tuple_2 = 1., .5, .25, .125

There are two tuples, both containing four elements.

Let's print them:

tuple_1 = (1, 2, 4, 8)
tuple_2 = 1., .5, .25, .125

print (tuple_1)
print (tuple_2)

This is what you should see in the console:

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(1, 2, 4, 8)
(1.0, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125)

output

Note: each tuple element may be of a different type (floating-point, integer, or any other not-as-yet-
introduced kind of data).

How to create a tuple?

It is possible to create an empty tuple - parentheses are required then:

empty_tuple = ()

If you want to create a one-element tuple, you have to take into consideration the fact that, due to syntax
reasons (a tuple has to be distinguishable from an ordinary, single value), you must end the value with a
comma:

one_element_tuple_1 = (1, )
one_element_tuple_2 = 1.,

Removing the commas won't spoil the program in any syntactical sense, but you will instead get two single
variables, not tuples.

How to use a tuple?

If you want to get the elements of a tuple in order to read them over, you can use the same
conventions to which you're accustomed while using lists.

Take a look at the code in the editor.

The program should produce the following output - run it and check:

1
1000
(10, 100, 1000)
(1, 10)

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1
10
100
1000

output

The similarities may be misleading - don't try to modify a tuple's contents! It's not a list!

All of these instructions (except the topmost one) will cause a runtime error:

my_tuple = (1, 10, 100, 1000)

my_tuple.append(10000)
del my_tuple[0]
my_tuple[1] = -10

This is the message that Python will give you in the console window:

AttributeError: 'tuple' object has no attribute 'append'

List is mutable

>>> a = [1,2,3]
>>> id(a)
4538108032
>>> a[0]=10
>>> id(a)
4538108032
>>> del a[2]
>>> id(a)
4538108032
>>> a.append(5)
>>> id(a)
4538108032
>>> a.insert(0,5)
>>> id(a)
4538108032
>>> a
[5, 10, 2, 5]
>>>

ID never changes

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How to use a tuple: continued
What else can tuples do for you?

 the  len()  function accepts tuples, and returns the number of elements contained
inside;
 the  +  operator can join tuples together (we've shown you this already)
 the  *  operator can multiply tuples, just like lists;
 the  in  and  not in  operators work in the same way as in lists.

The snippet in the editor presents them all.

The output should look as follows:

9
(1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000)
(1, 10, 100, 1, 10, 100, 1, 10, 100)
True
True

output

One of the most useful tuple properties is their ability to appear on the left side of the
assignment operator. You saw this phenomenon some time ago, when it was necessary to
find an elegant tool to swap two variables' values.

Take a look at the snippet below:

var = 123

t1 = (1, )
t2 = (2, )
t3 = (3, var)

t1 , t2, t3 = t2, t3, t1

print (t1, t2, t3)

It shows three tuples interacting - in effect, the values stored in them "circulate"
-  t1  becomes  t2 ,  t2  becomes  t3 , and  t3  becomes  t1 .

Note: the example presents one more important fact: a tuple's elements can be variables,
not only literals. Moreover, they can be expressions if they're on the right side of the
assignment operator.

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What is a dictionary?
The dictionary is another Python data structure. It's not a sequence type (but can be easily adapted to
sequence processing) and it is mutable.

To explain what the Python dictionary actually is, it is important to understand that it is literally a
dictionary.

The Python dictionary works in the same way as a bilingual dictionary. For example, you have an
English word (e.g., cat) and need its French equivalent. You browse the dictionary in order to find the
word (you may use different techniques to do that - it doesn't matter) and eventually you get it. Next, you
check the French counterpart and it is (most probably) the word "chat".

In Python's world, the word you look for is named a  key . The word you get from the dictionary is called
a  value .

This means that a dictionary is a set of key-value pairs. Note:

 each key must be unique - it's not possible to have more than one key of the same value;
 a key may be any immutable type of object: it can be a number (integer or float), or even a
string, but not a list;
 a dictionary is not a list - a list contains a set of numbered values, while a dictionary holds pairs
of values;
 the  len()  function works for dictionaries, too - it returns the numbers of key-value elements in
the dictionary;
 a dictionary is a one-way tool - if you have an English-French dictionary, you can look for French
equivalents of English terms, but not vice versa.

Now we can show you some working examples.

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How to make a dictionary?
If you want to assign some initial pairs to a dictionary, you should use the following syntax:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

phone_numbers = {'boss': 5551234567, 'Suzy': 22657854310}
empty_dictionary = {}

print (dictionary)
print (phone_numbers)
print (empty_dictionary)

In the first example, the dictionary uses keys and values which are both strings. In the second one, the keys
are strings, but the values are integers. The reverse layout (keys → numbers, values → strings) is also
possible, as well as number-number combination.

The list of pairs is surrounded by curly braces, while the pairs themselves are separated by commas,
and the keys and values by colons.

The first of our dictionaries is a very simple English-French dictionary. The second - a very tiny telephone
directory.

The empty dictionaries are constructed by an empty pair of curly braces - nothing unusual.

The dictionary as a whole can be printed with a single  print()  invocation. The snippet may produce the
following output:

{'dog': 'chien', 'horse': 'cheval', 'cat': 'chat'}

{'Suzy': 5557654321, 'boss': 5551234567}
{}

output

Have you noticed anything surprising? The order of the printed pairs is different than in the initial
assignment. What does that mean?

First of all, it's a confirmation that dictionaries are not lists - they don't preserve the order of their data, as
the order is completely meaningless (unlike in real, paper dictionaries). The order in which a
dictionary stores its data is completely out of your control, and your expectations. That's normal. (*)

NOTE

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(*) In Python 3.6x dictionaries have become ordered collections by default. Your results may vary
depending on what Python version you're using.

How to use a dictionary?

If you want to get any of the values, you have to deliver a valid key value:

print (dictionary['cat'])
print (phone_numbers['Suzy'])

Getting a dictionary's value resembles indexing, especially thanks to the brackets

surrounding the key's value.

Note:

 if the key is a string, you have to specify it as a string;

 keys are case-sensitive:  'Suzy'  is something different from  'suzy' .

The snippet outputs two lines of text:

chat
5557654321

output

And now the most important news: you mustn't use a non-existent key. Trying something
like this:

print (phone_numbers['president'])

will cause a runtime error. Try to do it.

Fortunately, there's a simple way to avoid such a situation. The  in  operator, together with
its companion,  not in , can salvage this situation.

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The following code safely searches for some French words:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

words = ['cat', 'lion', 'horse']

for word in words:

if word in dictionary:
print(word, "->", dictionary[word])
else:
print(word, "is not in dictionary")

The code's output looks as follows:

cat -> chat

lion is not in dictionary
horse -> cheval

output

NOTE

When you write a big or lengthy expression, it may be a good idea to keep it vertically
aligned. This is how you can make your code more readable and more programmer-friendly,
e.g.:

# Example 1:
dictionary = {
"cat": "chat",
"dog": "chien",
"horse": "cheval"
}

# Example 2:
phone_numbers = {'boss': 5551234567,
'Suzy': 22657854310
}

Such ways of formatting code are called hanging indents.

How to use a dictionary: the keys()

Can dictionaries be browsed using the  for  loop, like lists or tuples?

No and yes.

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No, because a dictionary is not a sequence type - the  for  loop is useless with it.

Yes, because there are simple and very effective tools that can adapt any dictionary to
the  for  loop requirements (in other words, building an intermediate link between the
dictionary and a temporary sequence entity).

The first of them is a method named  keys() , possessed by each dictionary. The
method returns an iterable object consisting of all the keys gathered within the
dictionary. Having a group of keys enables you to access the whole dictionary in an easy
and handy way.

Just like here:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

for key in dictionary.keys():

print(key, "->", dictionary[key]

The code's output looks as follows:

horse -> cheval

dog -> chien
cat -> chat

output

The sorted() function
Do you want it sorted? Just enrich the  for  loop to get such a form:

for key in sorted(dictionary.keys()):

The  sorted()  function will do its best - the output will look like this:

cat -> chat

dog -> chien
horse -> cheval

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How to use a dictionary:
The items() and values() methods
Another way is based on using a dictionary's method named  items() . The method returns
tuples (this is the first example where tuples are something more than just an example of
themselves) where each tuple is a key-value pair.

This is how it works:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

for english, french in dictionary.items():

print(english, "->", french)

Note the way in which the tuple has been used as a  for  loop variable.

The example prints:

cat -> chat

dog -> chien
horse -> cheval

output

There is also a method named  values() , which works similarly to  keys() , but returns
values.

Here is a simple example:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

for french in dictionary.values():

print(french)

As the dictionary is not able to automatically find a key for a given value, the role of this
method is rather limited.

Here is the expected output:

cheval

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chien
chat

How to use a dictionary: modifying and adding values

Assigning a new value to an existing key is simple - as dictionaries are fully mutable, there
are no obstacles to modifying them.

We're going to replace the value  "chat"  with  "minou" , which is not very accurate, but it will
work well with our example.

Look:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

dictionary['cat'] = 'minou'
print(dictionary)

The output is:

{'cat': 'minou', 'dog': 'chien', 'horse': 'cheval'}

output

Adding a new key

Adding a new key-value pair to a dictionary is as simple as changing a value - you only have
to assign a value to a new, previously non-existent key.

Note: this is very different behavior compared to lists, which don't allow you to assign values
to non-existing indices.

Let's add a new pair of words to the dictionary - a bit weird, but still valid:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

dictionary['swan'] = 'cygne'
print(dictionary)

The example outputs:

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{'cat': 'chat', 'dog': 'chien', 'horse': 'cheval', 'swan': 'cygne'}

output

EXTRA

You can also insert an item to a dictionary by using the  update()  method, e.g.:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

dictionary.update({"duck": "canard"})
print(dictionary)

Removing a key
Can you guess how to remove a key from a dictionary?

Note: removing a key will always cause the removal of the associated value. Values
cannot exist without their keys.

This is done with the  del  instruction.

Here's the example:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

del dictionary['dog']
print(dictionary)

Note: removing a non-existing key causes an error.

The example outputs:

{'cat': 'chat', 'horse': 'cheval'}

output

EXTRA

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To remove the last item in a dictionary, you can use the  popitem()  method:

dictionary = {"cat": "chat", "dog": "chien", "horse": "cheval"}

dictionary.popitem()
print(dictionary) # outputs: {'cat': 'chat', 'dog': 'chien'}

In the older versions of Python, i.e., before 3.6.7, the  popitem()  method removes a random
item from a dictionary.

Tuples and dictionaries can work together

We've prepared a simple example, showing how tuples and dictionaries can work together.

Let's imagine the following problem:

 you need a program to evaluate the students' average scores;

 the program should ask for the student's name, followed by her/his single score;
 the names may be entered in any order;
 entering an empty name finishes the inputting of the data (note 1: entering an empty
score will raise the ValueError exception, but don't worry about that now, you'll see
how to handle such cases when we talk about exceptions in the second part of the
Python Essentials course series)
 a list of all names, together with the evaluated average score, should be then
emitted.

Look at the code in the editor. This how to do it.

Now, let's analyze it line by line:

 line 1: create an empty dictionary for the input data; the student's name is used as a
key, while all the associated scores are stored in a tuple (the tuple may be a
dictionary value - that's not a problem at all)
 line 3: enter an "infinite" loop (don't worry, it'll break at the right moment)
 line 4: read the student's name here;
 line 5-6: if the name is an empty string (), leave the loop;
 line 8: ask for one of the student's scores (an integer from the range 0-10)
 line 9-10: if the score entered is not within the range from 0 to 10, leave the loop;
 line 12-13: if the student's name is already in the dictionary, lengthen the associated
tuple with the new score (note the += operator)
 line 14-15: if this is a new student (unknown to the dictionary), create a new entry -
its value is a one-element tuple containing the entered score;
 line 17: iterate through the sorted students' names;

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  line 18-19: initialize the data needed to evaluate the average (sum and counter)
 line 20-22: we iterate through the tuple, taking all the subsequent scores and
updating the sum, together with the counter;
 line 23: evaluate and print the student's name and average score.

This is a record of a conversation we had with our program:

Enter the student's name: Bob

Enter the student's score (0-10): 7
Enter the student's name: Andy
Enter the student's score (0-10): 3
Enter the student's name: Bob
Enter the student's score (0-10): 2
Enter the student's name: Andy
Enter the student's score (0-10): 10
Enter the student's name: Andy
Enter the student's score (0-10): 3
Enter the student's name: Bob
Enter the student's score (0-10): 9
Enter the student's name:
Andy : 5.333333333333333
Bob : 6.0

school_class = {}

while True:
name = input("Enter the student's name: ")
if name == '':
break

score = int(input("Enter the student's score (0-10): "))

if score not in range(0, 11):
break

if name in school_class:
school_class[name] += (score,)
else:
school_class[name] = (score,)

for name in sorted(school_class.keys()):

adding = 0
counter = 0
for score in school_class[name]:
adding += score
counter += 1
print(name, ":", adding / counter)

Key takeaways: tuples

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1. Tuples are ordered and unchangeable (immutable) collections of data. They can be thought of as
immutable lists. They are written in round brackets:

my_tuple = (1, 2, True, "a string", (3, 4), [5, 6], None)
print (my_tuple)

my_list = [1, 2, True, "a string", (3, 4), [5, 6], None]
print (my_list)

Each tuple element may be of a different type (i.e., integers, strings, booleans, etc.). What is more, tuples
can contain other tuples or lists (and the other way round).

2. You can create an empty tuple like this:

empty_tuple = ()
print(type(empty_tuple)) # outputs: <class 'tuple'>

3. A one-element tuple may be created as follows:

one_elem_tuple_1 = ("one", ) # Brackets and a comma.

one_elem_tuple_2 = "one", # No brackets, just a comma.

If you remove the comma, you will tell Python to create a variable, not a tuple:

my_tuple_1 = 1,
print (type(my_tuple_1)) # outputs: <class 'tuple'>

my_tuple_2 = 1 # This is not a tuple.

print (type(my_tuple_2)) # outputs: <class 'int'>

4. You can access tuple elements by indexing them:

my_tuple = (1, 2.0, "string", [3, 4], (5, ), True)

print (my_tuple[3]) # outputs: [3, 4]

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5. Tuples are immutable, which means you cannot change their elements (you cannot append tuples, or
modify, or remove tuple elements). The following snippet will cause an exception:

my_tuple = (1, 2.0, "string", [3, 4], (5, ), True)

my_tuple [2] = "guitar" # The TypeError exception will be raised.

However, you can delete a tuple as a whole:

my_tuple = 1, 2, 3,
del my_tuple
print (my_tuple) # NameError: name 'my_tuple' is not defined

6. You can loop through a tuple elements (Example 1), check if a specific element is (not)present in a tuple
(Example 2), use the  len()  function to check how many elements there are in a tuple (Example 3), or
even join/multiply tuples (Example 4):

# Example 1
tuple_1 = (1, 2, 3)
for elem in tuple_1:
print(elem)

# Example 2
tuple_2 = (1, 2, 3, 4)
print (5 in tuple_2)
print (5 not in tuple_2)

# Example 3
tuple_3 = (1, 2, 3, 5)
print (len(tuple_3))

# Example 4
tuple_4 = tuple_1 + tuple_2
tuple_5 = tuple_3 * 2

print (tuple_4)
print (tuple_5)

EXTRA

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You can also create a tuple using a Python built-in function called  tuple() . This is particularly useful
when you want to convert a certain iterable (e.g., a list, range, string, etc.) to a tuple:

my_tuple = tuple((1, 2, "string"))

print (my_tuple)

my_list = [2, 4, 6]
print (my_list) # outputs: [2, 4, 6]
print (type(my_list)) # outputs: <class 'list'>
tup = tuple(my_list)
print (tup) # outputs: (2, 4, 6)
print (type(tup)) # outputs: <class 'tuple'>

By the same fashion, when you want to convert an iterable to a list, you can use a Python built-in function
called  list() :

tup = 1, 2, 3,
my_list = list(tup)
print (type(my_list)) # outputs: <class 'list'>

Key takeaways: dictionaries

1. Dictionaries are unordered*, changeable (mutable), and indexed collections of data. (*In Python 3.6x
dictionaries have become ordered by default.

Each dictionary is a set of key: value pairs. You can create it by using the following syntax:

my_dictionary = {
key1: value1,
key2: value2,
key3: value3,
}

2. If you want to access a dictionary item, you can do so by making a reference to its key inside a pair of
square brackets (ex. 1) or by using the  get()  method (ex. 2):

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"kwiat": "flower",
"woda": "water",

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 "gleba": "soil"
}

item_1 = pol_eng_dictionary["gleba"] # ex. 1

print (item_1) # outputs: soil

item_2 = pol_eng_dictionary.get("woda")
print (item_2) # outputs: water

3. If you want to change the value associated with a specific key, you can do so by referring to the item's
key name in the following way:

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"zamek": "castle",
"woda": "water",
"gleba": "soil"
}

pol_eng_dictionary ["zamek"] = "lock"

item = pol_eng_dictionary["zamek"]
print (item) # outputs: lock

4. To add or remove a key (and the associated value), use the following syntax:

phonebook = {} # an empty dictionary

phonebook ["Adam"] = 3456783958 # create/add a key-value pair

print (phonebook) # outputs: {'Adam': 3456783958}

del phonebook["Adam"]
print (phonebook) # outputs: {}

You can also insert an item to a dictionary by using the  update()  method, and remove the last element
by using the  popitem()  method, e.g.:

pol_eng_dictionary = {"kwiat": "flower"}

pol_eng_dictionary .update({"gleba": "soil"})

print (pol_eng_dictionary) # outputs: {'kwiat': 'flower', 'gleba': 'soil'}

pol_eng_dictionary .popitem()
print (pol_eng_dictionary) # outputs: {'kwiat': 'flower'}

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5. You can use the  for  loop to loop through a dictionary, e.g.:

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"zamek": "castle",
"woda": "water",
"gleba": "soil"
}

for item in pol_eng_dictionary:

print(item)

# outputs: zamek
# woda
# gleba

6. If you want to loop through a dictionary's keys and values, you can use the  items()  method, e.g.:

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"zamek": "castle",
"woda": "water",
"gleba": "soil"
}

for key, value in pol_eng_dictionary.items():

print("Pol/Eng ->", key, ":", value)

7. To check if a given key exists in a dictionary, you can use the  in  keyword:

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"zamek": "castle",
"woda": "water",
"gleba": "soil"
}

if "zamek" in pol_eng_dictionary:
print("Yes")
else :
print("No")

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8. You can use the  del  keyword to remove a specific item, or delete a dictionary. To remove all the
dictionary's items, you need to use the  clear()  method:

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"zamek": "castle",
"woda": "water",
"gleba": "soil"
}

print (len(pol_eng_dictionary)) # outputs: 3

del pol_eng_dictionary["zamek"] # remove an item
print (len(pol_eng_dictionary)) # outputs: 2

pol_eng_dictionary .clear() # removes all the items

print (len(pol_eng_dictionary)) # outputs: 0

del pol_eng_dictionary # removes the dictionary

9. To copy a dictionary, use the  copy()  method:

pol_eng_dictionary = {
"zamek": "castle",
"woda": "water",
"gleba": "soil"
}

copy_dictionary = pol_eng_dictionary.copy()

Key takeaways: tuples and dictionaries

Exercise 1

What happens when you attempt to run the following snippet?

my_tup = (1, 2, 3)
print(my_tup[2])

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 Check

The program will print  3  to the screen.

Exercise 2

What is the output of the following snippet?

tup = 1, 2, 3
a, b, c = tup

print(a * b * c)

Check

The program will print  6  to the screen. The  tup  tuple elements have been "unpacked" in the  a ,  b ,
and  c  variables.

Exercise 3

Complete the code to correctly use the  count()  method to find the number of duplicates of  2  in the
following tuple.

tup = 1, 2, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 2, 7, 2, 8, 9
duplicates = # Write your code here.

print(duplicates) # outputs: 4

Check

tup = 1, 2, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 2, 7, 2, 8, 9

duplicates = tup.count(2)

print(duplicates) # outputs: 4

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Exercise 4

Write a program that will "glue" the two dictionaries ( d1  and  d2 ) together and create a new one ( d3 ).

d1 = {'Adam Smith': 'A', 'Judy Paxton': 'B+'}

d2 = {'Mary Louis': 'A', 'Patrick White': 'C'}
d3 = {}

for item in (d1, d2):

# Write your code here.

print(d3)

Check

Exercise 5

Write a program that will convert the  my_list  list to a tuple.

my_list = ["car", "Ford", "flower", "Tulip"]

t = # Write your code here.

print(t)

Check

Sample solution:
my_list = ["car", "Ford", "flower", "Tulip"]

t = tuple(my_list)

print(t)

Exercise 6

Write a program that will convert the  colors  tuple to a dictionary.

colors = (("green", "#008000"), ("blue", "#0000FF"))

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# Write your code here.

print(colors_dictionary)

Check

Sample solution:
colors = (("green", "#008000"), ("blue", "#0000FF"))

colors_dictionary = dict(colors)

print(colors_dictionary)

Exercise 7

What will happen when you run the following code?

my_dictionary = {"A": 1, "B": 2}

copy_my_dictionary = my_dictionary.copy()
my_dictionary.clear()

print(copy_my_dictionary)

Check

The program will print  {'A': 1, 'B': 2}  to the screen.

Exercise 8

What is the output of the following program?

colors = {
"white": (255, 255, 255),
"grey": (128, 128, 128),
"red": (255, 0, 0),
"green": (0, 128, 0)
}

for col, rgb in colors.items():

print(col, ":", rgb)

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 Check

white : (255, 255, 255)

grey : (128, 128, 128)

red : (255, 0, 0)

green : (0, 128, 0)

Estimated time
30-120 minutes

Level of difficulty
Medium/Hard

Objectives
 perfecting the student's skills in using Python for solving complex problems,
 integration of programming techniques in one program consisting of many various
parts.

Scenario
Your task is to write a simple program which pretends to play tic-tac-toe with the user.
To make it all easier for you, we've decided to simplify the game. Here are our assumptions:

 the computer (i.e., your program) should play the game using  'X' s;
 the user (e.g., you) should play the game using  'O' s;
 the first move belongs to the computer - it always puts its first  'X'  in the middle of
the board;
 all the squares are numbered row by row starting with  1  (see the example session
below for reference)
 the user inputs their move by entering the number of the square they choose - the
number must be valid, i.e., it must be an integer, it must be greater than  0  and less
than  10 , and it cannot point to a field which is already occupied;
 the program checks if the game is over - there are four possible verdicts: the game
should continue, or the game ends with a tie, your win, or the computer's win;
 the computer responds with its move and the check is repeated;
 don't implement any form of artificial intelligence - a random field choice made by
the computer is good enough for the game.

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The example session with the program may look as follows:

+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 4 | X | 6 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
Enter your move: 1
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | 2 | 3 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 4 | X | 6 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | 3 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 4 | X | 6 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
Enter your move: 8
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | 3 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 4 | X | 6 |
| | | |

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+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | O | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | 3 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 4 | X | X |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | O | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
Enter your move: 4
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | 3 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | X |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | O | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | X |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | X |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| 7 | O | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
Enter your move: 7
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | X | X |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |

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| O | X | X |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
| | | |
| O | O | 9 |
| | | |
+-------+-------+-------+
You won!

Requirements
Implement the following features:

 the board should be stored as a three-element list, while each element is another
three-element list (the inner lists represent rows) so that all of the squares may be
accessed using the following syntax:

board[row][column]


 each of the inner list's elements can contain  'O' ,  'X' , or a digit representing the
square's number (such a square is considered free)
 the board's appearance should be exactly the same as the one presented in the
example.
 implement the functions defined for you in the editor.

Drawing a random integer number can be done by utilizing a Python function

called  randrange() . The example program below shows how to use it (the program prints
ten random numbers from 0 to 8).

Note: the  from-import  instruction provides an access to the  randrange  function defined
within an external Python module callled  random .

from random import randrange

for i in range(10):
print(randrange(8))

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Python Essentials 2:
Module 1
Modules, Packages and PIP

In this module, you will learn about:

 importing and using Python modules;

 using some of the most useful Python standard library modules;
 constructing and using Python packages;
 PIP (Python Installation Package) and how to use it to install and uninstall ready-to-
use packages from PyPI.

What is a module?
Computer code has a tendency to grow. We can say that code that doesn't grow is probably completely
unusable or abandoned. A real, wanted, and widely used code develops continuously, as both users'
demands and users' expectations develop in their own rhythms.

A code which is not able to respond to users' needs will be forgotten quickly, and instantly replaced with a
new, better, and more flexible code. Be prepared for this, and never think that any of your programs is
eventually completed. The completion is a transition state and usually passes quickly, after the first bug
report. Python itself is a good example how the rule acts.

Growing code is in fact a growing problem. A larger code always means tougher maintenance. Searching
for bugs is always easier where the code is smaller (just as finding a mechanical breakage is simpler when
the machinery is simpler and smaller).

Moreover, when the code being created is expected to be really big (you can use a total number of source
lines as a useful, but not very accurate, measure of a code's size) you may want (or rather, you will be
forced) to divide it into many parts, implemented in parallel by a few, a dozen, several dozen, or even
several hundred individual developers.

Of course, this cannot be done using one large source file, which is edited by all programmers at the same
time. This will surely lead to a spectacular disaster.

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If you want such a software project to be completed successfully, you have to have the means allowing you
to:

 divide all the tasks among the developers;

 join all the created parts into one working whole.

For example, a certain project can be divided into two main parts:

 the user interface (the part that communicates with the user using widgets and a graphical screen)
 the logic (the part processing data and producing results)

Each of these parts can be (most likely) divided into smaller ones, and so on. Such a process is often
called decomposition.

For example, if you were asked to arrange a wedding, you wouldn't do everything yourself - you would
find a number of professionals and split the task between them all.

How do you divide a piece of software into separate but cooperating parts? This is the
question. Modules are the answer.

How to make use of a module?

So what is a module? The Python Tutorial defines it as a file containing Python definitions and
statements, which can be later imported and used when necessary.

The handling of modules consists of two different issues:

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  the first (probably the most common) happens when you want to use an already existing module,
written by someone else, or created by yourself during your work on some complex project - in
this case you are the module's user;
 the second occurs when you want to create a brand new module, either for your own use, or to
make other programmers' lives easier - you are the module's supplier.

Let's discuss them separately.

First of all, a module is identified by its name. If you want to use any module, you need to know the name.
A (rather large) number of modules is delivered together with Python itself. You can think of them as a
kind of "Python extra equipment".

All these modules, along with the built-in functions, form the Python standard library - a special sort of
library where modules play the roles of books (we can even say that folders play the roles of shelves). If

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you want to take a look at the full list of all "volumes" collected in that library, you can find it
here: https://docs.python.org/3/library/index.html.

Each module consists of entities (like a book consists of chapters). These entities can be functions,
variables, constants, classes, and objects. If you know how to access a particular module, you can make use
of any of the entities it stores.

Let's start the discussion with one of the most frequently used modules, named  math . Its name speaks for
itself - the module contains a rich collection of entities (not only functions) which enable a programmer to
effectively implement calculations demanding the use of mathematical functions, like sin() or log().

Importing a module
To make a module usable, you must import it (think of it like of taking a book off the shelf). Importing a
module is done by an instruction named  import . Note:  import  is also a keyword (with all the
consequences of this fact).

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Let's assume that you want to use two entities provided by the  math  module:

 a symbol (constant) representing a precise (as precise as possible using double floating-point
arithmetic) value of π (although using a Greek letter to name a variable is fully possible in Python,
the symbol is named pi - it's a more convenient solution, especially for that part of the world
which neither has nor is going to use a Greek keyboard)
 a function named  sin()  (the computer equivalent of the mathematical sine function)

Both these entities are available through the  math  module, but the way in which you can use them
strongly depends on how the import has been done.

The simplest way to import a particular module is to use the import instruction as follows:

import math

The clause contains:

 the  import  keyword;

 the name of the module which is subject to import.

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The instruction may be located anywhere in your code, but it must be placed before the first use of any of
the module's entities.

If you want to (or have to) import more than one module, you can do it by repeating the  import  clause
(preferred):

import math
import sys

or by listing the modules after the  import  keyword, like here:

import math, sys

The instruction imports two modules, first the one named  math  and then the second named  sys .

The modules' list may be arbitrarily long.

Importing a module: continued

To continue, you need to become familiar with an important term: namespace. Don't worry, we won't go
into great detail - this explanation is going to be as short as possible.

A namespace is a space (understood in a non-physical context) in which some names exist and the names
don't conflict with each other (i.e., there are not two different objects of the same name). We can say that
each social group is a namespace - the group tends to name each of its members in a unique way (e.g.,
parents won't give their children the same first names).

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This uniqueness may be achieved in many ways, e.g., by using nicknames along with the first names (it
will work inside a small group like a class in a school) or by assigning special identifiers to all members of
the group (the US Social Security Number is a good example of such practice).

Inside a certain namespace, each name must remain unique. This may mean that some names may
disappear when any other entity of an already known name enters the namespace. We'll show you how it
works and how to control it, but first, let's return to imports.

If the module of a specified name exists and is accessible (a module is in fact a Python source file),
Python imports its contents, i.e., all the names defined in the module become known, but they don't
enter your code's namespace.

This means that you can have your own entities named  sin  or  pi  and they won't be affected by the
import in any way.

At this point, you may be wondering how to access the  pi  coming from the  math  module.

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To do this, you have to qualify the  pi  with the name of its original module.

Importing a module: continued

Look at the snippet below, this is the way in which you qualify the names of  pi  and  sin  with
the name of its originating module:

math .pi
math .sin

It's simple, you put:

 the name of the module (e.g.,  math )

 a dot (i.e.,  . )
 the name of the entity (e.g.,  pi )

Such a form clearly indicates the namespace in which the name exists.

Note: using this qualification is compulsory if a module has been imported by

the  import  module instruction. It doesn't matter if any of the names from your code and
from the module's namespace are in conflict or not.

This first example won't be very advanced - we just want to print the value of sin(½π).

Look at the code in the editor. This is how we test it.

The code outputs the expected value:  1.0 .

Note: removing any of the two qualifications will make the code erroneous. There is no
other way to enter  math 's namespace if you did the following:

import math

import math
print(math.sin(math.pi/2))

1.0

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Importing a module: continued
Now we're going to show you how the two namespaces (yours and the module's one) can
coexist.

Take a look at the example in the editor window.

We've defined our own  pi  and  sin  here.

Run the program. The code should produce the following output:

0.99999999
1.0

output

As you can see, the entities don't affect each other.

import math

def sin(x):
if 2 * x == pi:
return 0.99999999
else:
return None

pi = 3.14

print(sin(pi/2))
print(math.sin(math.pi/2))

0.99999999
1.0

print(sin(pi/2))
print(math.sin(pi/2))

0.99999999
0.9999996829318346

Importing a module: continued

In the second method, the  import 's syntax precisely points out which module's entity (or
entities) are acceptable in the code:

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from math import pi

The instruction consists of the following elements:

 the  from  keyword;

 the name of the module to be (selectively) imported;
 the  import  keyword;
 the name or list of names of the entity/entities which are being imported into the
namespace.

The instruction has this effect:

 the listed entities (and only those ones) are imported from the indicated module;
 the names of the imported entities are accessible without qualification.

Note: no other entities are imported. Moreover, you cannot import additional entities using
a qualification - a line like this one:

print (math.e)

will cause an error ( e  is Euler's number: 2.71828...)

Let's rewrite the previous script to incorporate the new technique.

Here it is:

from math import sin, pi

print (sin(pi/2))

The output should be the same as previously, as in fact we've used the same entities as
before:  1.0 . Copy the code, paste it in the editor, and run the program.

Does the code look simpler? Maybe, but the look is not the only effect of this kind of import.
Let's show you that.

from math import sin, pi

import math

print(sin(pi/2))

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def sin(x):
if 2 * x == pi:
return 0.99999999
else:
return None

pi = 3.14

print(sin(pi/2))
print(math.sin(math.pi/2))

1.0
0.99999999
1.0

Importing a module: continued

Look at the code in the editor. Analyze it carefully:

from math import sin, pi

print(sin(pi / 2))

pi = 3.14

def sin(x):
if 2 * x == pi:
return 0.99999999
else:
return None

print(sin(pi / 2))
1.0
0.99999999

 line 1: carry out the selective import;

 line 3: make use of the imported entities and get the expected result ( 1.0 )
 lines 5 through 12: redefine the meaning of  pi  and  sin  - in effect, they supersede
the original (imported) definitions within the code's namespace;
 line 15: get  0.99999999 , which confirms our conclusions.

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Let's do another test. Look at the code below:

pi = 3.14

def sin(x):
if 2 * x == pi:
return 0.99999999
else:
return None

print (sin(pi / 2))

from math import sin, pi

print (sin(pi / 2))

Here, we've reversed the sequence of the code's operations:

 lines 1 through 8: define our own  pi  and  sin ;

 line 11: make use of them ( 0.99999999  appears on the screen)
 line 13: carry out the import - the imported symbols supersede their previous
definitions within the namespace;
 line 15: get  1.0  as a result.

Importing a module: *
In the third method, the  import 's syntax is a more aggressive form of the previously
presented one:

from module import *

As you can see, the name of an entity (or the list of entities' names) is replaced with a single
asterisk ( * ).

Such an instruction imports all entities from the indicated module.

Is it convenient? Yes, it is, as it relieves you of the duty of enumerating all the names you
need.

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Is it unsafe? Yes, it is - unless you know all the names provided by the module, you may not
be able to avoid name conflicts. Treat this as a temporary solution, and try not to use it in
regular code.

Importing a module: the as keyword

If you use the import module variant and you don't like a particular module's name (e.g., it's
the same as one of your already defined entities, so qualification becomes troublesome)
you can give it any name you like - this is called aliasing.

Aliasing causes the module to be identified under a different name than the original. This
may shorten the qualified names, too.

Creating an alias is done together with importing the module, and demands the following
form of the import instruction:

import module as alias

The "module" identifies the original module's name while the "alias" is the name you wish to
use instead of the original.

Note:  as  is a keyword.

Importing a module: continued

If you need to change the word  math , you can introduce your own name, just like in the
example:

import math as m

print (m.sin(m.pi/2))

Note: after successful execution of an aliased import, the original module name becomes
inaccessible and must not be used.

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In turn, when you use the  from module import name  variant and you need to change the
entity's name, you make an alias for the entity. This will cause the name to be replaced by
the alias you choose.

This is how it can be done:

from module import name as alias

As previously, the original (unaliased) name becomes inaccessible.

The phrase  name as alias  can be repeated - use commas to separate the multiplied
phrases, like this:

from module import n as a, m as b, o as c

The example may look a bit weird, but it works:

from math import pi as PI, sin as sine

print (sine(PI/2))

Now you're familiar with the basics of using modules. Let us show you some modules and
some of their useful entities.

from math import pi as PI, sin as sine

pi = 3.14

def sin(x):
if 2 * x == pi:
return 0.99999999
else:
return None

print(sin(pi / 2)) ====== 0.99999999

print(sine(PI/2)) ====== 1.0

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Key takeaways

1. If you want to import a module as a whole, you can do it using the  import module_name  statement.
You are allowed to import more than one module at once using a comma-separated list. For example:

import mod1
import mod2, mod3, mod4

although the latter form is not recommended due to stylistic reasons, and it's better and prettier to express
the same intention in more a verbose and explicit form, such as:

import mod2
import mod3
import mod4

2. If a module is imported in the above manner and you want to access any of its entities, you need to
prefix the entity's name using dot notation. For example:

import my_module

result = my_module.my_function(my_module.my_data)

The snippet makes use of two entities coming from the  my_module  module: a function
named  my_function()  and a variable named  my_data . Both names must be prefixed
by  my_module.  None of the imported entity names conflicts with the identical names existing in your
code's namespace.

3. You are allowed not only to import a module as a whole, but to import only individual entities from it.
In this case, the imported entities must not be prefixed when used. For example:

from module import my_function, my_data

result = my_function(my_data)

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The above way - despite its attractiveness - is not recommended because of the danger of causing conflicts
with names derived from importing the code's namespace.

4. The most general form of the above statement allows you to import all entities offered by a module:

from my_module import *

result = my_function(my_data)

Note: this import's variant is not recommended due to the same reasons as previously (the threat of a
naming conflict is even more dangerous here).

5. You can change the name of the imported entity "on the fly" by using the  as  phrase of the  import . For
example:

from module import my_function as fun, my_data as dat

result = fun(dat)

Exercise 1

You want to invoke the function  make_money()  contained in the module named  mint . Your code
begins with the following line:

import mint

What is the proper form of the function's invocation?

Check

mint.make_money()

Exercise 2

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You want to invoke the function  make_money()  contained in the module named  mint . Your code
begins with the following line:

from mint import make_money

What is the proper form of the function's invocation?

Check

make_money()

Exercise 3

You've written a function named  make_money  on your own. You need to import a function of the same
name from the  mint  module and don't want to rename any of your previously defined names. Which
variant of the  import  statement may help you with the issue?

Check

# sample solution

from mint import make_money as make_more_money

Exercise 4

What form of the  make_money  function invocation is valid if your code starts with the following line?

from mint import *

Check

make_money()

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Working with standard modules
Before we start going through some standard Python modules, we want to introduce the  dir()  function to
you. It has nothing to do with the  dir  command you know from Windows and Unix consoles,
as  dir()  doesn't show the contents of a disk directory/folder, but there is no denying that it does
something really similar - it is able to reveal all the names provided through a particular module.

There is one condition: the module has to have been previously imported as a whole (i.e., using
the  import module  instruction -  from module  is not enough).

The function returns an alphabetically sorted list containing all entities' names available in the module
identified by a name passed to the function as an argument:

dir (module)

Note: if the module's name has been aliased, you must use the alias, not the original name.

Using the function inside a regular script doesn't make much sense, but it is still possible.

For example, you can run the following code to print the names of all entities within the  math  module:

import math

for name in dir(math):

print(name, end="\t")

The example code should produce the following output:

__doc__ __loader__ __name__ __package__ __spec__ acos acosh asin asinh

atan atan2 atanh ceil copysign cos cosh degrees e erf erfc exp expm1
fabs factorial floor fmod frexp fsum gamma hypot isfinite isinf isnan
ldexp lgamma log log10 log1p log2 modf pi pow radians sin sinh sqrt tan
tanh trunc

output

Have you noticed these strange names beginning with  __  at the top of the list? We'll tell you more about
them when we talk about the issues related to writing your own modules.

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Some of the names might bring back memories from math lessons, and you probably won't have any
problems guessing their meanings.

Using the  dir()  function inside a code may not seem very useful - usually you want to know a particular
module's contents before you write and run the code.

Fortunately, you can execute the function directly in the Python console (IDLE), without needing to write
and run a separate script.

This is how it can be done:

import math
dir (math)

You should see something similar to this:

Selected functions from the math module

Let's start with a quick preview of some of the functions provided by the  math  module.

We've chosen them arbitrarily, but that doesn't mean that the functions we haven't
mentioned here are any less significant. Dive into the modules' depths yourself - we don't
have the space or the time to talk about everything in detail here.

The first group of the  math 's functions are connected with trigonometry:

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  sin(x)  → the sine of x;
 cos(x)  → the cosine of x;
 tan(x)  → the tangent of x.

All these functions take one argument (an angle measurement expressed in radians) and
return the appropriate result (be careful with  tan()  - not all arguments are accepted).

Of course, there are also their inversed versions:

 asin(x)  → the arcsine of x;

 acos(x)  → the arccosine of x;
 atan(x)  → the arctangent of x.

These functions take one argument (mind the domains) and return a measure of an angle in
radians.

To effectively operate on angle measurements, the  math  module provides you with the
following entities:

 pi  → a constant with a value that is an approximation of π;

 radians(x)  → a function that converts x from degrees to radians;
 degrees(x)  → acting in the other direction (from radians to degrees)

Now look at the code in the editor. The example program isn't very sophisticated, but can
you predict its results?

Apart from the circular functions (listed above) the  math  module also contains a set of
their hyperbolic analogues:

 sinh(x)  → the hyperbolic sine;

 cosh(x)  → the hyperbolic cosine;
 tanh(x)  → the hyperbolic tangent;
 asinh(x)  → the hyperbolic arcsine;
 acosh(x)  → the hyperbolic arccosine;
 atanh(x)  → the hyperbolic arctangent.

from math import pi, radians, degrees, sin, cos, tan, asin

ad = 90
ar = radians(ad)
ad = degrees(ar)

print(ad == 90.)

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print(ar == pi / 2.)
print(sin(ar) / cos(ar) == tan(ar))
print(asin(sin(ar)) == ar)

True
True
True
True

Selected functions from the math module: continued

Another group of the  math 's functions is formed by functions which are connected
with exponentiation:

 e  → a constant with a value that is an approximation of Euler's number (e)

 exp(x)  → finding the value of ex;
 log(x)  → the natural logarithm of x
 log(x, b)  → the logarithm of x to base b
 log10(x)  → the decimal logarithm of x (more precise than  log(x, 10) )
 log2(x)  → the binary logarithm of x (more precise than  log(x, 2) )

Note: the  pow()  function:

 pow(x, y)  → finding the value of xy (mind the domains)

This is a built-in function, and doesn't have to be imported.

Look at the code in the editor. Can you predict its output?

from math import e, exp, log

print(pow(e, 1) == exp(log(e)))
print(pow(2, 2) == exp(2 * log(2)))
print(log(e, e) == exp(0))

False
True
True

Pow is a built-in function in Python, no need to be imported.

Selected functions from the math module: continued

The last group consists of some general-purpose functions like:

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  ceil(x)  → the ceiling of x (the smallest integer greater than or equal to x)
 floor(x)  → the floor of x (the largest integer less than or equal to x)
 trunc(x)  → the value of x truncated to an integer (be careful - it's not an equivalent
either of ceil or floor)
 factorial(x)  → returns x! (x has to be an integral and not a negative)
 hypot(x, y)  → returns the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angle triangle with
the leg lengths equal to x and y (the same as  sqrt(pow(x, 2) + pow(y, 2))  but
more precise)

Look at the code in the editor. Analyze the program carefully.

It demonstrates the fundamental differences between  ceil() ,  floor()  and  trunc() .

Run the program and check its output.

from math import ceil, floor, trunc

x = 1.4
y = 2.6

print(floor(x), floor(y))
print(floor(-x), floor(-y))
print(ceil(x), ceil(y))
print(ceil(-x), ceil(-y))
print(trunc(x), trunc(y))
print(trunc(-x), trunc(-y))

1 2
-2 -3
2 3
-1 -2
1 2
-1 -2

Is there real randomness in computers?

Another module worth mentioning is the one named  random .

It delivers some mechanisms allowing you to operate with pseudorandom numbers.

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Note the prefix pseudo - the numbers generated by the modules may look random in the
sense that you cannot predict their subsequent values, but don't forget that they all are
calculated using very refined algorithms.

The algorithms aren't random - they are deterministic and predictable. Only those physical
processes which run completely out of our control (like the intensity of cosmic radiation)
may be used as a source of actual random data. Data produced by deterministic computers
cannot be random in any way.

A random number generator takes a value called a seed, treats it as an input value, calculates a "random"
number based on it (the method depends on a chosen algorithm) and produces a new seed value.

The length of a cycle in which all seed values are unique may be very long, but it isn't infinite - sooner or
later the seed values will start repeating, and the generating values will repeat, too. This is normal. It's a
feature, not a mistake, or a bug.

The initial seed value, set during the program start, determines the order in which the generated values will
appear.

The random factor of the process may be augmented by setting the seed with a number taken from the
current time - this may ensure that each program launch will start from a different seed value (ergo, it will
use different random numbers).

Fortunately, such an initialization is done by Python during module import.

Selected functions from the random module

The random function

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The most general function named  random()  (not to be confused with the module's
name) produces a float number  x  coming from the range  (0.0, 1.0)  - in other words:
(0.0 <= x < 1.0).

The example program below will produce five pseudorandom values - as their values are
determined by the current (rather unpredictable) seed value, you can't guess them:

from random import random

for i in range(5):
print(random())

Run the program. This is what we've got:

0.9535768927411208
0.5312710096244534
0.8737691983477731
0.5896799172452125
0.02116716297022092

sample output

The seed function

The  seed()  function is able to directly set the generator's seed. We'll show you two of its
variants:

 seed()  - sets the seed with the current time;

 seed(int_value)  - sets the seed with the integer value  int_value .

We've modified the previous program - in effect, we've removed any trace of randomness
from the code:

from random import random, seed

seed (0)

for i in range(5):
print(random())

Due to the fact that the seed is always set with the same value, the sequence of generated
values always looks the same.

Run the program. This is what we've got:

0.844421851525

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0.75795440294
0.420571580831
0.258916750293
0.511274721369

sample output

And you?

Note: your values may be slightly different than ours if your system uses more precise or
less precise floating-point arithmetic, but the difference will be seen quite far from the
decimal point.

Selected functions from the random module: continued

The randrange and randint functions

If you want integer random values, one of the following functions would fit better:

 randrange(end)
 randrange(beg, end)
 randrange(beg, end, step)
 randint(left, right)

The first three invocations will generate an integer taken (pseudorandomly) from the range
(respectively):

 range(end)
 range(beg, end)
 range(beg, end, step)

Note the implicit right-sided exclusion!

The last function is an equivalent of  randrange(left, right+1)  - it generates the integer
value  i , which falls in the range [left, right] (no exclusion on the right side).

Look at the code in the editor. This sample program will consequently output a line
consisting of three zeros and either a zero or one at the fourth place.

from random import randrange, randint

print(randrange(1), end=' ')

print(randrange(0, 1), end=' ')
print(randrange(0, 1, 1), end=' ')
print(randint(0, 1))

0 0 0 1

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Selected functions from the random module: continued
The previous functions have one important disadvantage - they may produce repeating
values even if the number of subsequent invocations is not greater than the width of the
specified range.

Look at the code below - the program very likely outputs a set of numbers in which some
elements are not unique:

from random import randint

for i in range(10):
print(randint(1, 10), end=',')

This is what we got in one of the launches:

9,4,5,4,5,8,9,4,8,4,

sample output

The choice and sample functions

As you can see, this is not a good tool for generating numbers in a lottery. Fortunately, there
is a better solution than writing your own code to check the uniqueness of the "drawn"
numbers.

It's a function named in a very suggestive way -  choice :

 choice(sequence)
 sample(sequence, elements_to_choose)

The first variant chooses a "random" element from the input sequence and returns it.

The second one builds a list (a sample) consisting of the  elements_to_choose  element
"drawn" from the input sequence.

In other words, the function chooses some of the input elements, returning a list with the
choice. The elements in the sample are placed in random order. Note:
the  elements_to_choose  must not be greater than the length of the input sequence.

Look at the code below:

from random import choice, sample

my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

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print (choice(my_list))
print (sample(my_list, 5))
print (sample(my_list, 10))

Again, the output of the program is not predictable. Our results looked like this:

4
[3, 1, 8, 9, 10]
[10, 8, 5, 1, 6, 4, 3, 9, 7, 2]

output

How to know where you are?

Sometimes, it may be necessary to find out information unrelated to Python. For example, you may need to
know the location of your program within the greater environment of the computer.

Imagine your program's environment as a pyramid consisting of a number of layers or platforms.

The layers are:

 your (running) code is located at the top of it;

 Python (more precisely - its runtime environment) lies directly below it;

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  the next layer of the pyramid is filled with the OS (operating system) - Python's environment
provides some of its functionalities using the operating system's services; Python, although very
powerful, isn't omnipotent - it's forced to use many helpers if it's going to process files or
communicate with physical devices;
 the bottom-most layer is hardware - the processor (or processors), network interfaces, human
interface devices (mice, keyboards, etc.) and all other machinery needed to make the computer
run; the OS knows how to drive it, and uses lots of tricks to conduct all parts in a consistent
rhythm.

This means than some of your (or rather your program's) actions have to travel a long way to be
successfully performed - imagine that:

 your code wants to create a file, so it invokes one of Python's functions;

 Python accepts the order, rearranges it to meet local OS requirements (it's like putting the stamp
"approved" on your request) and sends it down (this may remind you of a chain of command)
 the OS checks if the request is reasonable and valid (e.g., whether the file name conforms to some
syntax rules) and tries to create the file; such an operation, seemingly very simple, isn't atomic - it
consists of many minor steps taken by...
 the hardware, which is responsible for activating storage devices (hard disk, solid state devices,
etc.) to satisfy the OS's needs.

Usually, you're not aware of all that fuss - you want the file to be created and that's that.

But sometimes you want to know more - for example, the name of the OS which hosts Python, and some
characteristics describing the hardware that hosts the OS.

There is a module providing some means to allow you to know where you are and what components work
for you. The module is named platform. We'll show you some of the functions it provides to you.

Selected functions from the platform module

The platform function

The  platform  module lets you access the underlying platform's data, i.e., hardware,
operating system, and interpreter version information.

There is a function that can show you all the underlying layers in one glance,
named  platform , too. It just returns a string describing the environment; thus, its output is
rather addressed to humans than to automated processing (you'll see it soon).

This is how you can invoke it:

platform (aliased = False, terse = False)

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And now:

 aliased  → when set to  True  (or any non-zero value) it may cause the function to
present the alternative underlying layer names instead of the common ones;
 terse  → when set to  True  (or any non-zero value) it may convince the function to
present a briefer form of the result (if possible)

We ran our sample program using three different platforms - this is what we got:

Intel x86 + Windows ® Vista (32 bit):

Windows-Vista-6.0.6002-SP2
Windows-Vista-6.0.6002-SP2
Windows-Vista

output

Intel x86 + Gentoo Linux (64 bit):

Linux-3.18.62-g6-x86_64-Intel-R-_Core-TM-_i3-2330M_CPU_@_2.20GHz-with-
gentoo-2.3
Linux-3.18.62-g6-x86_64-Intel-R-_Core-TM-_i3-2330M_CPU_@_2.20GHz-with-
gentoo-2.3
Linux-3.18.62-g6-x86_64-Intel-R-_Core-TM-_i3-2330M_CPU_@_2.20GHz-with-
glibc2.3.4

output

Raspberry PI2 + Raspbian Linux (32 bit):

Linux-4.4.0-1-rpi2-armv7l-with-debian-9.0
Linux-4.4.0-1-rpi2-armv7l-with-debian-9.0
Linux-4.4.0-1-rpi2-armv7l-with-glibc2.9

output

You can also run the sample program in IDLE on your local machine to check what output
you will have.

from platform import platform

print(platform())
print(platform(1))
print(platform(0, 1))

Linux-4.4.0-206-generic-x86_64-with
Linux-4.4.0-206-generic-x86_64-with
Linux-4.4.0-206-generic-x86_64-with

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Selected functions from the platform module:
continued
The machine function

Sometimes, you may just want to know the generic name of the processor which runs your
OS together with Python and your code - a function named  machine()  will tell you that. As
previously, the function returns a string.

Again, we ran the sample program on three different platforms:

Intel x86 + Windows ® Vista (32 bit):

x86

output

Intel x86 + Gentoo Linux (64 bit):

x86_64

output

Raspberry PI2 + Raspbian Linux (32 bit):

armv7l

from platform import machine

print(machine())

x86_64

Selected functions from the platform module:

continued
The processor function

The  processor()  function returns a string filled with the real processor name (if possible).

Once again, we ran the sample program on three different platforms:

Intel x86 + Windows ® Vista (32 bit):

x86

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 output

Intel x86 + Gentoo Linux (64 bit):

Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2330M CPU @ 2.20GHz

output

Raspberry PI2 + Raspbian Linux (32 bit):

armv7l

output

Test this on your local machine.

from platform import processor

print(processor())

Selected functions from the platform module:

continued
The system function

A function named  system()  returns the generic OS name as a string.

Our example platforms presented themselves like this:

Intel x86 + Windows ® Vista (32 bit):

Windows

output

Intel x86 + Gentoo Linux (64 bit):

Linux

output

Raspberry PI2 + Raspbian Linux (32 bit):

Linux

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Selected functions from the platform module:
continued
The version function

The OS version is provided as a string by the  version()  function.

Run the code and check its output. This is what we got:

Intel x86 + Windows ® Vista (32 bit):

6.0.6002

output

Intel x86 + Gentoo Linux (64 bit):

#1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Jul 21 22:44:37 CEST 2017

output

Raspberry PI2 + Raspbian Linux (32 bit):

#1 SMP Debian 4.4.6-1+rpi14 (2016-05-05)

output

Selected functions from the platform module:

continued
The python_implementation and the python_version_tuple functions

If you need to know what version of Python is running your code, you can check it using a
number of dedicated functions - here are two of them:

 python_implementation()  → returns a string denoting the Python implementation

(expect  CPython  here, unless you decide to use any non-canonical Python branch)

 python_version_tuple()  → returns a three-element tuple filled with:

o the major part of Python's version;
o the minor part;
o the patch level number.

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Our example program produced the following output:

CPython
3
7
7

sample output

It's very likely that your version of Python will be different.

Python Module Index

We have only covered the basics of Python modules here. Python's modules make up their own universe,
in which Python itself is only a galaxy, and we would venture to say that exploring the depths of these
modules can take significantly more time than getting acquainted with "pure" Python.

Moreover, the Python community all over the world creates and maintains hundreds of additional modules
used in very niche applications like genetics, psychology, or even astrology.

These modules aren't (and won't be) distributed along with Python, or through official channels, which
makes the Python universe broader - almost infinite.

You can read about all standard Python modules here: https://docs.python.org/3/py-modindex.html.

Don't worry - you won't need all these modules. Many of them are very specific.

All you need to do is find the modules you want, and teach yourself how to use them. It's easy.

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In the next section we'll take a look at something else. We're going to show you how to write your own
module.

Key takeaways

1. A function named  dir()  can show you a list of the entities contained inside an imported module. For
example:

import os
dir (os)

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prints out the list of all the  os  module's facilities you can use in your code.

2. The  math  module couples more than 50 symbols (functions and constants) that perform mathematical
operations (like  sine() ,  pow() ,  factorial() ) or providing important values (like π and the Euler
symbol e).

3. The  random  module groups more than 60 entities designed to help you use pseudo-random numbers.
Don't forget the prefix "random", as there is no such thing as a real random number when it comes to
generating them using the computer's algorithms.

4. The  platform  module contains about 70 functions which let you dive into the underlaying layers of
the OS and hardware. Using them allows you to get to know more about the environment in which your
code is executed.

5. Python Module Index (https://docs.python.org/3/py-modindex.html is a community-driven directory of

modules available in the Python universe. If you want to find a module fitting your needs, start your search
there.

Exercise 1

What is the expected value of the  result  variable after the following code is executed?

import math
result = math.e == math.exp(1)

Check

True

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Exercise 2

(Complete the sentence) Setting the generator's seed with the same value each time your program is run
guarantees that...

Check

... the pseudo-random values emitted from the  random  module will be exactly the same.

Exercise 3

Which of the  platform  module's functions will you use to determine the name of the CPU running
inside your computer?

Check

The  processor()  function

Exercise 4

What is the expected output of the following snippet?

import platform

print(len(platform.python_version_tuple()))

Check

What is a package?
Writing your own modules doesn't differ much from writing ordinary scripts.

There are some specific aspects you must be aware of, but it definitely isn't rocket science. You'll see this
soon enough.

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Let's summarize some important issues:

 a module is a kind of container filled with functions - you can pack as many functions as you
want into one module and distribute it across the world;
 of course, it's generally a good idea not to mix functions with different application areas within
one module (just like in a library - nobody expects scientific works to be put among comic books),
so group your functions carefully and name the module containing them in a clear and intuitive
way (e.g., don't give the name  arcade_games  to a module containing functions intended to
partition and format hard disks)
 making many modules may cause a little mess - sooner or later you'll want to group your
modules exactly in the same way as you've previously grouped functions - is there a more general
container than a module?
 yes, there is - it's a package; in the world of modules, a package plays a similar role to a
folder/directory in the world of files.

Your first module: step 1

In this section you're going to be working locally on your machine. Let's start from scratch. Create an
empty file, just like this:

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 module.py

You will need two files to repeat these experiments. The first of them will be the module itself. It's empty
now. Don't worry, you're going to fill it with actual code soon.

We've named the file module.py. Not very creative, but simple and clear.

Your first module: step 2

The second file contains the code using the new module. Its name is main.py. Its content is very brief so
far:

import module

main.py

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Note: both files have to be located in the same folder. We strongly encourage you to create an empty,
new folder for both files. Some things will be easier then.

Launch IDLE (or any other IDE you prefer) and run the main.py file. What do you see?

You should see nothing. This means that Python has successfully imported the contents of
the module.py file.

It doesn't matter that the module is empty for now. The very first step has been done, but before you take
the next step, we want you to take a look into the folder in which both files exist.

Do you notice something interesting?

A new subfolder has appeared - can you see it? Its name is __pycache__. Take a look inside. What do
you see?

There is a file named (more or less) module.cpython-xy.pyc where x and y are digits derived from

your version of Python (e.g., they will be 3 and 8 if you use Python 3.8).

The name of the file is the same as your module's name (module here). The part after the first dot says
which Python implementation has created the file (CPython here) and its version number. The last part
(pyc) comes from the words Python and compiled.

You can look inside the file - the content is completely unreadable to humans. It has to be like that, as the
file is intended for Python's use only.

When Python imports a module for the first time, it translates its contents into a somewhat compiled
shape.

The file doesn't contain machine code - it's internal Python semi-compiled code, ready to be executed by
Python's interpreter. As such a file doesn't require lots of the checks needed for a pure source file, the
execution starts faster, and runs faster, too.

Thanks to that, every subsequent import will go quicker than interpreting the source text from scratch.

Python is able to check if the module's source file has been modified (in this case, the pyc file will be
rebuilt) or not (when the pyc file may be run at once). As this process is fully automatic and transparent,
you don't have to keep it in mind.

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