Introduction to Python Week 8

Study Notes

Python Overview

Created by Guido van Rossum and released in 1991.
Popular for web development, software development, mathematics, and system scripting.
Compatible with multiple platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, and Raspberry Pi.

Why Python?

Simple, readable syntax similar to English.
Fewer lines of code needed compared to other languages.
Utilizes an interpreter system for immediate code execution and rapid prototyping.
Supports procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming paradigms.

Python Syntax

Emphasizes readability; commands are completed with new lines rather than semicolons.
Uses indentation instead of curly brackets to define scopes for loops, functions, and classes.

Comments and Variables

Comments initiated with #, improving code readability and preventing execution during testing.
Variables are containers for data values and are created upon first assignment.
No explicit type declaration is necessary; types can change dynamically.

Type Casting

Data types can be specified using casting functions.

String Declaration

Strings can be declared using single or double quotes interchangeably.

Variable Naming Rules

Can be a single character or descriptive word.
Must start with a letter or an underscore, cannot start with a number.
Only contains alphanumeric characters and underscores.
Case-sensitive; for example, age, Age, and AGE are distinct variables.
Cannot use reserved Python keywords as variable names.

Multi-word Variable Naming Conventions

Camel Case: e.g., myVariableName.
Pascal Case: e.g., MyVariableName.
Snake Case: e.g., my_variable_name.

Output Variables

Use the print() function to display variables, which can accept multiple inputs separated by commas.
The + operator works for number addition and string concatenation.

Data Types

Integer (int): Whole numbers without decimals, positive or negative, of unlimited length.
Floating Point (float): Numbers containing decimals, positive or negative.
String: Enclosed in single or double quotes; displayable through print().

Type Conversion Functions

int(): Converts to an integer from float or string where applicable.
float(): Converts to a float from integer, float, or string.
str(): Converts any data type into a string format.

Description

Explore the fundamentals of Python programming in this Week 8 quiz. Learn about its history, various applications, and reason for its popularity across different platforms. Test your knowledge and enhance your computing skills with this engaging quiz.