Session 2

Variables, Input and Casting

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What we are learning about today
At the end of today’s lesson, we will have covered:
● Storing data using variables
● Getting input from the user
● Convert values between different data types using casting

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Starter
Why did the + operator do different things here?

Code Output

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The use of the + operator
In the first example, the two operands are numbers so they are added together
In the second example, the two operands are strings so they are concatenated
(joined)
Code Output

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The use of the + operators
Concatenation is the process of joining two strings together

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The use of the + operator
You can’t mix operand data types when using the + operator in Python

Can you explain this error message?

We will come back to how to fix it later

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Activity 1: Investigate

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 Activity 1
Investigate

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 Activity 1
Investigate
What effect does the comma have in the print statement?

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Key Concept: Variables
A variable is a name given to a storage location in the computer’s memory
It holds some information, which we call its value
Variable names should be meaningful
Variable names should start with a lowercase letter with words separated by
underscores

❌ ✅

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Key Concept: Variables
You might like to think of a variable as a box where you can store a value
The variable name is a label to help you identify the correct box to use

14

Python code: age = 14

age
Photo by Lia Trevarthen on Unsplash

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Activity 2: Variables

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 Activity 2
Variable naming rules and conventions
Variable names must describe what you are using them for

first_name ✅ use underscores to separate words

2nd ❌ you can’t start a variable name with a number

users_first_name ❌ this is too long, you might make errors

Fill in t
f ❌ too short; avoid single-letter variable names h
worksh e
e et
First ❌ don’t start variable names with a capital letter gaps

first-name ❌ no punctuation other than an underscore is allowed

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 Activity 2
Variable naming rules and conventions
Check your work
Variable name example Okay? Explanation

high_score ✅

x ❌ Single-letter

Surname ❌ Starts with a capital letter

third.place ❌ Has a full-stop in it

the_highest_value_scored ❌ Too long

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Activity 3: Printing variables

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 Activity 3
Predict
1
Look at the examples
In pairs, write down what
you predict they will output 2
Do not run them yet

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 Activity 3
Run
1
Now run them
Did they do what you
expected? 2
Fill in the worksheet notes

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 Activity 3
Run
1

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Input
The input command
allows you to ask the user
to enter some values

The value entered is

stored in the variable
specified

You can see this from the

output of this program

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 Activity 3
Investigate
What happens if we 1
change the code?

Try these examples one by 2

one

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 Activity 3
Investigate
1

What is causing this error?

How can we fix it?

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 Activity 3
Investigate

We must store a value in the name variable before we try to use it

Swap the lines over so the input line comes first

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 Activity 3
Investigate
2

What is causing this error?

How can we fix it?

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 Activity 3
Investigate

We must store the input in the hobby variable

Add hobby = to the start of the second input line

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 Activity 3
Investigate
3

What does this error message mean?

What is causing it?

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 Activity 3
Investigate
Python is case sensitive, so variables COUNTRY and country are
two different variables
Change the input statement to use the variable, country

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 Activity 3
Modify
Change this so it asks the
user for the name of a
game and their high score
instead
Change the print
statements appropriately

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 Activity 3
Modify - Example Solution

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 Activity 3
Make
Using this code as a
guide, write a program that
asks the user for the name
of their favourite animal,
where it lives and its
favourite food
Then output a message
about this.

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 Activity 3
Make - Example Solution
Write a program that asks the user for the name of their favourite animal, where
it lives and its favourite food
Then output a message about this.

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Activity 4: Casting

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 Activity 4
Investigate
What happens if you run this code?

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 Activity 4
Investigate
Can you explain this?

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 Activity 4
Investigate
Did you remember that the + operator can concatenate strings?

When you use input, it always gives you a string back

Sometimes we will want to convert this into a number

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Casting - changing datatype
You can use these functions to cast a variable from one datatype to another:
int() - convert to an integer
float() - convert to a floating-point number

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Casting - changing datatype

Now do the exercises

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Activity 5: Casting Exercises

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 Activity 5
Casting Exercises - Solutions
1. Contrary to popular belief, millipedes don’t have 1000 legs. Giant African
millipedes have around 160 legs.

Complete this code to output how many legs your millipedes have.

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 Activity 5
Casting Exercises - Solutions
2. Ask the user how tall they are in centimetres and output their height in metres.

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 Activity 5
Casting Exercises - Solutions
3. To convert degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit, you multiply by 1.8 and add 32.

Fix this code to ask the user to enter a temperature in Celsius as a floating-point
number and output the temperature in Fahrenheit.

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Plenary
We have covered:
● Storing data using variables
● Getting input from the user
● Converting between data types using casting

EXIT
T
TICKE What is wrong with this line of Python code?

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