Computational Thinking with Programming

Data and Expressions:

Literals, Variables and Identifiers

@cse_bennett @csebennett
 Today’s Outline

• Previous Session:
• Introduction to python
• Today’s Session:
• Basic Elements of Python Programs
• Tokens, Literals, Assignments.
• Identifiers, and Expressions.
• Scripts

• Hands on Session with Jupyter Notebook:

• We will practice on the Python basic elements in Google Colab.

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Fundamentals of Python

Tokens

Comments Statements

Python
Fundamentals

Indention Constant

Variables

3
 Tokens
Tokens are the smallest unit of the program.

Literals

Tokens
Reserved Words

Identifiers

Operators

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 Literals
• In the following example, the parameter values passed to the print
function are all technically called literals
• More precisely, “Bennett University” and “Welcome to Bennett” are called
textual literals, while 3 and 2.3 are called numeric literals

>>> print(“Bennett University")

Bennett University
>>> print(“Welcome to Bennett")
Welcome to Bennett
>>> print(3)
3
>>> print(2.3)
2.3
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 Literals
• String Literals:
• A string literal is a sequence of characters surrounded by quotes. We can
use both single, double or triple quotes for a string. And, a character literal
String is a single character surrounded by single or double quotes.
• Numeric Literals:
Numeric • Numeric Literals are immutable (unchangeable). Numeric literals can
Literals

belong to 3 different numerical types Integer, Float, and Complex.

Boolean
• Boolean Literals:
Collection • A Boolean literal can have any of the two values: True or False.
• Collection literals:
Special • There are four different literal collections List literals, Tuple literals, Dict
literals, and Set literals.
• Special literals:
• Python contains one special literal i.e. None. We use it to specify to that
field that is not created.
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 Statements
• Python statements are nothing but logical instructions that interpreter
can read and execute. It can be both single and multiline.
There are two categories of statements in Python:

Value Based
Statements

Simple Variable Based

Assignments
Multiple Operation based
Expression

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 Simple Assignment Statements
• A literal is used to indicate a specific value, which can be assigned to
a variable

>>> x = 2
▪ x is a variable and 2 is its value >>> print(x)
2
>>> x = 2.3
>>> print(x)
2.3

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 Simple Assignment Statements

• A literal is used to indicate a specific value, which can be assigned to

a variable
>>> x = 2
▪ x is a variable and 2 is its value >>> print(x)
2
▪ x can be assigned different values; >>> x = 2.3
hence, it is called a variable >>> print(x)
2.3

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Simple Assignment Statements: What we
Think
• A simple way to view the effect of an assignment is to assume that when a
variable changes, its old value is replaced

>>> x = 2 x = 2.3
Before After
>>> print(x)
2 x 2 x 2.3
>>> x = 2.3
>>> print(x)
2.3

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 Simple Assignment Statements: What
Actually Happen
• Python assignment statements are slightly different from the “variable as a
box” model
• In Python, values may end up anywhere in memory, and variables are used to
refer to them
x = 2.3
>>> x = 2 After
Before
>>> print(x) What will
2 2 happen to
x 2 x
>>> x = 2.3 value 2?
>>> print(x)
2.3
2.3

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 Garbage Collection
• Interestingly, as a Python programmer you do not have to worry about
computer memory getting filled up with old values when new values are
assigned to variables
After
Memory location
• Python will automatically clear old
values out of memory in a process x 2 X will be automatically
reclaimed by the
known as garbage collection garbage collector
2.3

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 Simultaneous Assignment
• Python allows us also to assign multiple values to multiple variables all at
the same time
>>> x, y = 2, 3
>>> x
2
>>> y
3
>>>

• This form of assignment might seem strange at first, but it can prove
remarkably useful (e.g., for swapping values)
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 Simultaneous Assignment
• Suppose you have two variables x and y, and you want to swap their values
(i.e., you want the value stored in x to be in y and vice versa)

>>> x = 2
>>> y = 3
>>> x = y
>>>
>>>
y
x
= x
X CANNOT be done with
two simple assignments
3
>>> y
3

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 Simultaneous Assignment
• Suppose you have two variables x and y, and you want to swap their values
(i.e., you want the value stored in x to be in y and vice versa)
>>> x = 2
Thus far, we have been using >>> y = 3
different names for >>> temp = x CAN be done with
variables. These names >>> x = y three simple assignments,
are technically called
identifiers
>>> y = temp
>>> x
✓ but more efficiently with
simultaneous assignment
3
>>> y
2
>>> x,y = y,x
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 Identifiers
• Python has some rules about how identifiers can be formed
• Every identifier must begin with a letter or underscore, which may be followed
by any sequence of letters, digits, or underscores
>>> x1 = 10
>>> x2 = 20
>>> y_effect = 1.5
>>> celsius = 32
>>> 2celsius
File "<stdin>", line 1
2celsius
^
SyntaxError: invalid
syntax 16
 Identifiers
• Python has some rules about how identifiers can be formed
• Identifiers are case-sensitive

>>> x = 10
>>> X = 5.7
>>> print(x)
10
>>> print(X)
5.7

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 Identifiers
• Python has some rules about how identifiers can be formed
• Some identifiers are part of Python itself (they are called reserved words or
keywords) and cannot be used by programmers as ordinary identifiers
False class finally is return
None continue for lambda try
True def from nonlocal while
and del global not with
as elif if or yield
assert else import pass
break except in raise
Python Keywords 18
 Identifiers
• Python has some rules about how identifiers can be formed
• Some identifiers are part of Python itself (they are called reserved words or
keywords) and cannot be used by programmers as ordinary identifiers

>>> for = 4
File "<stdin>", line 1
An example… for = 4
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

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 Expressions
• You can produce new data (numeric or text) values in your program
using expressions
>>> x = 2 + 3
▪ This is an expression that uses the >>> print(x)
addition operator 5
>>> print(5 * 7)
35
>>> print("5" + "7")
57

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 Expressions
• You can produce new data (numeric or text) values in your program
using expressions
>>> x = 2 + 3
▪ This is an expression that uses the >>> print(x)
addition operator 5
>>> print(5 * 7)
▪ This is another expression that uses the 35
multiplication operator >>> print("5" + "7")
57

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 Expressions
• You can produce new data (numeric or text) values in your program
using expressions
>>> x = 2 + 3
▪ This is an expression that uses the >>> print(x)
addition operator 5
>>> print(5 * 7)
▪ This is another expression that uses the 35
multiplication operator >>> print("5" + "7")
57
▪ This is yet another expression that uses the
addition operator but to concatenate (or glue)
strings together
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 Expressions
• You can produce new data (numeric or text) values in your program
using expressions

>>> x = 6 >>> print(x*y)

>>> y = 2 12
>>> print(x - >>> print(x**y)
Another y) Yet another 36
example… 4 example… >>> print(x%y)
>>> print(x/y) 0
3.0 >>> print(abs(-x))
>>> 6
print(x//y)
3
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Expressions: Summary of Operators

Operator Operation
+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
/ Float Division
** Exponentiation
abs() Absolute Value
// Integer Division
% Remainder

Python Built-In Numeric Operations

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 Script
• One problem with entering code interactively into a Python shell is that
the definitions are lost when we quit the shell
• If we want to use these definitions again, we have to type them all over again!

• To this end, programs are usually created by typing definitions into a

separate file called a module or script
• This file is saved on disk so that it can be used over and over again

• A Python module file is just a text file with a .py extension, which can be
created using any program for editing text (e.g., notepad or vim)

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 Programming Environments and IDLE
• A special type of software known as a programming environment
simplifies the process of creating modules/programs.

• A programming environment helps programmers write programs and

includes features such as automatic indenting, color highlighting, and
interactive development.

• The standard Python distribution includes a programming environment

called IDLE that you can use for working on the programs of this
course.
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 Summary
• Programs are composed of statements that are built from identifiers and
expressions

• Identifiers are names

• They begin with an underscore or letter which can be followed by a combination of
letter, digit, and/or underscore characters
• They are case sensitive

• Expressions are the fragments of a program that produce data

• They can be composed of literals, variables, and operators

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 Summary
• A literal is a representation of a specific value (e.g., 3 is a literal
representing the number three)

• A variable is an identifier that stores a value, which can change (hence, the
name variable)

• Operators are used to form and combine expressions into more complex
expressions (e.g., the expression x + 3 * y combines two expressions
together using the + and * operators)

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 Summary
• In Python, assignment of a value to a variable is done using the equal sign
(i.e., =)

• Using assignments, programs can get inputs from users and manipulate
them internally

• Python allows simultaneous assignments, which are useful for swapping

values of variables

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Thank You

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