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What is Python

Python is a versatile programming language created by Guido van Rossum in 1991, used for web development, software development, mathematics, and system scripting. It features a simple syntax, dynamic typing, and supports multiple programming paradigms, making it suitable for rapid prototyping and production-ready applications. The latest major version is Python 3, and it includes built-in data types such as strings, integers, and lists.

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0 views6 pages

What is Python

Python is a versatile programming language created by Guido van Rossum in 1991, used for web development, software development, mathematics, and system scripting. It features a simple syntax, dynamic typing, and supports multiple programming paradigms, making it suitable for rapid prototyping and production-ready applications. The latest major version is Python 3, and it includes built-in data types such as strings, integers, and lists.

Uploaded by

Auwal Bello
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Python?

Python is a popular programming language. It was created by Guido van Rossum, and released in 1991.
It is used for:
 web development (server-side),
 software development,
 mathematics,
 system scripting.
What can Python do?
 Python can be used on a server to create web applications.
 Python can be used alongside software to create workflows.
 Python can connect to database systems. It can also read and modify files.
 Python can be used to handle big data and perform complex mathematics.
 Python can be used for rapid prototyping, or for production-ready software development
Why Python?
 Python works on different platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, etc).
 Python has a simple syntax similar to the English language.
 Python has syntax that allows developers to write programs with fewer lines than some other
programming languages.
 Python runs on an interpreter system, meaning that code can be executed as soon as it is written.
This means that prototyping can be very quick.
 Python can be treated in a procedural way, an object-oriented way or a functional way.
Good to know
 The most recent major version of Python is Python 3, which we shall be using in this tutorial.
However, Python 2, although not being updated with anything other than security updates, is still
quite popular.
 In this tutorial Python will be written in a text editor. It is possible to write Python in an
Integrated Development Environment, such as Thonny, Pycharm, Netbeans or Eclipse which are
particularly useful when managing larger collections of Python files.
Python Syntax compared to other programming languages
 Python was designed for readability, and has some similarities to the English language with
influence from mathematics.
 Python uses new lines to complete a command, as opposed to other programming languages
which often use semicolons or parentheses.
 Python relies on indentation, using whitespace, to define scope; such as the scope of loops,
functions and classes. Other programming languages often use curly-brackets for this purpose.

 Example
 print("Hello, World!"

Execute Python Syntax


As we learned in the previous page, Python syntax can be executed by writing
directly in the Command Line:

>>> print("Hello, World!")


Hello, World!

Python Comments
Comments can be used to explain Python code.
Comments can be used to make the code more readable.
Comments can be used to prevent execution when testing code.
Creating a Comment
Comments starts with a #, and Python will ignore them:
Example
#This is a comment
print("Hello, World!")

Variables in Python are containers used for storing data values. Unlike some other programming
languages, Python does not require explicit declaration of variables; they are created when a value is
assigned to them.

Key characteristics of Python variables:


 Dynamic Typing:
Python variables can hold values of different data types (e.g., integers, strings, lists) during the program's
execution.
 Assignment:
Variables are created using the assignment operator (=). For example, x = 10 assigns the value 10 to the
variable x.
 Naming Rules:
 Variable names must start with a letter or an underscore.
 They cannot start with a number.
 They can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores.
 Variable names are case-sensitive (age, Age, and AGE are different variables).
 They cannot be any of Python's keywords (e.g., if, for, while).
 Data Types:
Variables can store different data types, such as numbers (integers, floats), strings, lists, tuples, booleans,
and more.
 Scope:
 Global Variables: Declared outside functions and can be accessed anywhere in the
program.
 Local Variables: Declared inside functions and are only accessible within that function.
Common Variable Types:
 Accumulators: Variables used to accumulate values, such as sums or counts.
 String Variables: Variables that can be indexed and sliced to extract specific characters or ranges
of characters.
Data Types in python

Built-in Data Types


In programming, data type is an important concept.
Variables can store data of different types, and different types can do different things.
Python has the following data types built-in by default, in these categories:

Text Type: str

Numeric Types: int, float, complex

Sequence Types: list, tuple, range

Mapping Type: dict

Set Types: set, frozenset

Boolean Type: bool

Binary Types: bytes, bytearray, memoryview

None Type: NoneType

Getting the Data Type


You can get the data type of any object by using the type() function:
Example
Print the data type of the variable x:
x =5
print(type(x))

Setting the Data Type


In Python, the data type is set when you assign a value to a variable:

Setting the Specific Data Type


If you want to specify the data type, you can use the following constructor functions:
Python Number
Python Numbers
There are three numeric types in Python:
 int
 float
 complex
Variables of numeric types are created when you assign a value to them:
Example
x=1 # int
y = 2.8 # float
z = 1j # complex

To verify the type of any object in Python, use the type() function:
Example
print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))
Int
Int, or integer, is a whole number, positive or negative, without decimals, of unlimited length.
Example
Integers:
x=1
y = 35656222554887711
z = -3255522

print(type(x))
print(type(y))
print(type(z))

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