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SIJ1004
Introduction to Computational Biology
Class 7. Python part 2
Control structures
• Computer programs = sequences of instructions (followed one after the other).
• Sequence is a fundamental concept of programming, but alone, it is not sufficient
to solve every problem.
• Altering the sequential flow of a program to suit the needs of a particular
situation.
• Control structures commands that enable a program to “take decisions”,
following one path or another.
• Sequential control structure: The execution of the program statements happens
line by line.
• Selection control structure: Decision making
• Iteration control structure: Repeat command.
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Control structures - Conditional Statements
• Also called “Decision structures”.
• One type of control structures, are statements that allow a
program to execute different sequences of instructions for
different cases,
• Decision making the basic decision statement in programming
is selection structure.
• The decision is described to computer as a conditional statement
that can be answered “True” or “False” (Boolean condition).
• Conditional statement in Python:
• If statement
• if … else statement
• if … elif … else statement
• Nested if … else statement
1. if statement
• Allow the program to respond to input from user.
• A condition:
• True or false
• Value
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2. if … else statement
• Alternative execution.
• Two possibilities determined by the
conditions
• Allow the program to respond to
input from user.
• A condition:
• True or false
• Value
3. if … elif … else statement
• elif a keyword used in Python for “else if”.
• To place another condition in the program.
• Chained conditional. Allows more than two possibilities
need more than 2 branches
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if statement & comparison
• comparison operators
– ==
– !=
– <=
4. Nested if statement
• We can write an entire “if … else” statement in another “if … else” statement.
Example:
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Multi-way decisions: if-elif-else
• A special kind of nesting is the chain of if-
else-if-else-… statements
• Can be written elegantly using if-elif-..-else
if cond1: if cond1:
s1 s1
else: elif cond2:
if cond2: s2
s2 elif cond3:
else: s3
if cond3: elif …
s3 else
else: last-block-of-stmt
…
Control structures - Looping Statements
• Repetitive program codes
• Looping statement in Python:
• while statement
• for loop statement
• Nested for loop statement
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1. while loop statement
• A Python program that repeatedly executes a target
statement as long as a given condition is true
2. for loop statement
• Another repetitive control structure
used to execute a target statement
until the condition becomes false.
• Used to iterate over a sequence (list,
tuple, string).
• Initiating by specifying a variable and
command the action
