Python Basics

Dive into the basics of Python, including variables, data types, syntax, comments, and operators.

By Kevin McAleer,    3 Minutes

Introduction

In this lesson, we’ll explore the basics of Python programming. This includes understanding variables, data types, basic syntax, comments, and operators.

Learning Objectives

• Understand and use variables and data types.
• Learn and apply basic Python syntax.
• Learn how to comment code.
• Understand and use operators in Python.

Variables and Data Types

Variables are containers that hold data. Python has various data types including:

• Integers: These are whole numbers, such as 10, 15, 22.
• Floats: These are decimal numbers, such as 1.5, 2.67, 3.14.
• Booleans: These represent truth values and can be either True or False.
• Strings: These are sequences of characters, such as 'hello', 'Python'.

Here’s how you can create variables of different types:

# An integer
age = 25

# A float
height = 5.6

# A boolean
is_adult = True

# A string
name = "Alice"

Basic Python Syntax

Python has a clean and easy-to-understand syntax. Here are some key points:

• Indentation: Python uses indentation (spaces or tabs at the beginning of lines) to define blocks of code.

if age > 18:
    print("You are an adult.")

• Statements: In Python, each logical line of code is called a “statement”. Python interprets these statements in the order they appear.

print("Hello, World!")
print("Welcome to Python programming.")

• Line Continuation: For breaking long statements into multiple lines, you can use the line continuation character (\).

total = 1 + 2 + 3 + \
        4 + 5 + 6

Comments

Comments are essential in making your code understandable to others and your future self. They are lines that are not executed by the Python interpreter.

# This is a single-line comment
print("Hello, World!")  # This is an inline comment

"""
This is a
multi-line comment
"""

Operators

Python supports a variety of operators:

• Arithmetic Operators: +, -, *, /, //, %, **

x = 10
y = 3

print(x + y)  # Addition
print(x - y)  # Subtraction
print(x * y)  # Multiplication
print(x / y)  # Division
print(x // y)  # Floor division
print(x % y)  # Modulus
print(x ** y)  # Exponentiation

• Comparison Operators: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=

print(x == y)  # Equal to
print(x != y)  # Not equal to
print(x > y)  # Greater than
print(x < y)  # Less than
print(x >= y)  # Greater than or equal to
print(x <= y)  # Less than or equal to

• Logical Operators: and, or, not

age = 22
is_student = True

if age > 18 and is_student:
    print("You are an adult student.")

Summary

This lesson covered the basics of Python, including variables, data types, basic syntax, comments, and operators. These are foundational concepts that you’ll use in every Python program you write.