Basic Python Concepts

Study Notes

Python is a high-level programming language used to execute tasks
Computer understands instructions written in binary (0s and 1s) called machine language
Python converts high-level code into machine language using an interpreter or compiler
Python is open-source, case-sensitive, and based on ABC language, developed by Guido van Rossum
Case sensitivity is important; Python differentiates between upper and lower-case
Programs requiring execution are saved using .py file extension
Keywords are reserved words with specific meanings in Python and cannot be used as identifiers (e.g., if, else, for)
Identifiers are names given to variables, functions, etc., and follow these rules:
- Start with letters or underscore (_), followed by letters, numbers, and underscores

Interpreted language: Each line is executed immediately
Interactive mode: Allows execution of a single line or block of code
Script mode: Runs a sequence of commands from a file (.py extension)
Keywords: Reserved words in Python; have predefined special meanings
input(): Function to get user input, which may be an integer, string or floating point values, treated as a string
Identifiers can be of any length
Avoid special symbols (!, @, #)
Comments allow for descriptions within Python code, which are ignored by the interpreter
Single line comments start with #
Multi-line comments use triple quotes(""" """)
Python data types (e.g., integers, floats, strings, booleans, complex numbers) have specific meanings
Data sequences, like strings and lists, can be processed
Identifiers cannot be keywords (reserved words)

Integers (whole numbers)
Floating-point numbers (numbers with decimals)
Strings (sequences of characters)
Boolean (True/False)
Complex numbers
Data sequences:
- Strings
- Lists
Keywords are used often in conditional statements (if/elif/else), loops (for/while), and functions (def)