Python Programming - Unit I Notes

Prepared by: Dr. Pangambam Sendash Singh

February 12, 2025

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1 Introduction to Python

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Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its simplicity and
readability.

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1.1 Origins of Python

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Python was created by Guido van Rossum in 1989 and officially released in 1991. It
was developed as a successor to the ABC programming language. The name Python was
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inspired by the British comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Key Milestones:

ˆ 1991: Python 1.0 released

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ˆ 2000: Python 2.0 released (introduced list comprehensions, garbage collection)

ˆ 2008: Python 3.0 released (major improvements, removed backward compatibility)

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ˆ Python 3.13.2: Released on February 4, 2025

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1.2 Features of Python

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ˆ Simple and easy to learn syntax

ˆ Interpreted (no compilation required)

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ˆ Dynamically typed (no need to declare variable types)

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ˆ Object-oriented and functional programming support

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ˆ Cross-platform compatibility

ˆ Extensive libraries (NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow, Django, etc.)

ˆ Automatic garbage collection

ˆ Embeddable and extensible with C/C++

Widely used in AI, ML, Web Development, Automation, and Data Science

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 2 Variables and Assignment
Variables store values in memory. Variables in Python are dynamically typed and do not
require explicit declaration and are case-sensitive.
Example:
1 x = 10 # Integer
2 y = 3.14 # Float
3 name = " John " # String
flag = True # Boolean

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Multiple Assignments:

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1 a , b , c = 10 , 20 , " Hello "
2 x = y = z = 50 # Assign the same value to multiple variables

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Swapping Variables:
1 a , b = 5 , 10
2 a , b = b , a # Swap values without a temporary variable

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3 print (a , b ) # Output : 10 5

3 Python Basics
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Python script files have a .py extension. Execution is done via the Python interpreter:
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1 python my_script . py

3.1 Syntax and Comments

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Python syntax is simple and uses indentation to define blocks of code. Python uses
indentation (instead of { } like C/C++). Comments are written using # for single-line
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and ‘‘‘ ’’’ or ‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ ’’ ’’ ’’ for multi-line comments. Python statements are

executed sequentially, and indentation is crucial for defining blocks. Python statements
are executed sequentially, and indentation is crucial for defining blocks.
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Example:
1 # This is a single - line comment
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2
3 """
4 This is a
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5 multi - line comment

6 """
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8 print ( " Hello , World ! " ) # Output : Hello , World !

ˆ Statements: Python instructions executed at runtime.

ˆ Syntax: Rules for structuring code.

ˆ Python Objects: Everything in Python is an object (numbers, strings, lists,

functions, etc.). Objects have attributes and methods.

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 3.2 Identifiers
Identifiers: Names given to variables, functions, classes, etc.

Identifier Naming Rules:

ˆ Must begin with a letter (A-Z, a-z) or underscore ( )

ˆ Cannot start with a digit (e.g., 1var is invalid)

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ˆ Cannot contain special characters (e.g., Roll#, US$ are invalid)

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ˆ Cannot use Python keywords (e.g., def, class, return)

ˆ Case-sensitive (Var ̸= var)

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4 Standard Types and Other Built-in Types

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Python has various data types:

4.1 Primitive Data Types:

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ˆ Numeric Types: int, float, complex

ˆ Boolean Type: bool (True, False)

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ˆ String Type: str

4.2 Collection Data Types:

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ˆ List: Ordered, mutable collection ‘[ ]’

ˆ Tuple: Ordered, immutable collection ‘( )’

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ˆ Set: Unordered, unique values ‘{ }’

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ˆ Dictionary: Key-value pairs ‘{ }’

Mutable/Immutable Types:
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ˆ Mutable Types: Can be modified (e.g., Lists, Dictionaries).

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ˆ Immutable Types: Cannot be changed (e.g., Strings, Tuples).

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Example:
1 lst = [1 , 2 , 3 , " Python " ] # List
2 tpl = (10 , 20 , 30) # Tuple
3 st = {1 , 2 , 3 , 3} # Set ( removes duplicates )
4 dct = { " name " : " John " , " age " : 25} # Dictionary

5 Operators in Python
Operators are special symbols used to perform operations on variables and values.

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 5.1 Arithmetic Operators
ˆ Addition: + Example: 5 + 3 ⇒ 8

ˆ Subtraction: - Example: 10 - 4 ⇒ 6

ˆ Multiplication: * Example: 6 * 7 ⇒ 42

ˆ Division: / Example: 15 / 2 ⇒ 7.5

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ˆ Floor Division: // Example: 15 // 2 ⇒ 7

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ˆ Modulus: % Example: 10 % 3 ⇒ 1

ˆ Exponentiation: ** Example: 2 ** 3 ⇒ 8

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5.2 Relational Operators
ˆ Equal to: ==

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Example: 5 == 5 ⇒ True

ˆ Not equal to: !=

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Example: 5 != 3 ⇒ True

ˆ Greater than: > Example: 10 > 5 ⇒ True

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ˆ Less than: < Example: 3 < 7 ⇒ True

ˆ Greater than or equal to: >= Example: 8 >= 8 ⇒ True

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ˆ Less than or equal to: <= Example: 4 <= 9 ⇒ True

5.3 Bitwise Operators

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ˆ AND: & Example: 5 & 3 ⇒ 1

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ˆ OR: | Example: 5 | 3 ⇒ 7

ˆ XOR: ∧ Example: 5 ∧ 3 ⇒ 6
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ˆ NOT: ∼ Example: ∼5 ⇒ -6
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ˆ Left Shift: << Example: 5 << 1 ⇒ 10

ˆ Right Shift: >> Example: 5 >> 1 ⇒ 2

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5.4 Other Operators

ˆ Assignment Operators: =, +=, -=, *=, /=, //=, %=, **= Example: x += 5 (if
x = 2, then x becomes 7)

ˆ Logical Operators: and, or, not Example: (5 > 3) and (10 > 7) ⇒ True

ˆ Membership Operators: in, not in Example: 5 in [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] ⇒ True

ˆ Identity Operators: is, is not Example: x is y (returns True if x and y reference

the same object)

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 6 Built-in Functions
Python provides many built-in functions:

Function Purpose
type(x) Returns type of x
len(x) Returns length of x
max(x), min(x) Find maximum/minimum value
Sorts a sequence

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sorted(x)

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Example:
1 numbers = [4 , 7 , 1 , 9]
2 print ( max ( numbers ) ) # Output : 9

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3 print ( min ( numbers ) ) # Output : 1
4 print ( sorted ( numbers ) ) # Output : [1 , 4 , 7 , 9]

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6.1 Standard Type Built-in Functions

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Function Purpose
type(x) Returns type of x
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len(x) Returns length of x
str(x), int(x), float(x) Type conversion
max(x), min(x) Find maximum/minimum value
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sorted(x) Sorts a sequence
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