Introduction to Python

2. Lecture: First steps

Dr. Annika Bork-Unkelbach, Dr. Jutta Vüllers, Dr. Julia Fuchs |

KIT – Die Forschungsuniversität in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft [Link]

 Overview

1. Introduction
Python interactive
Run a simple python program from file

2. Variables and data types

Numeric data types
Text types: Strings
Set types

3. Comments

4. Code styling

5. How to work with this exercise

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 Python interactive

After successfully installing python on your machine, we are now ready to use python as a calculator: Open the
Anaconda prompt (Windows) or a terminal (Ubuntu)

python

Now you can try different calculations:

3+5
4*8
365/12

In order to leave python, type:

exit()

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 Arithmetric Operators

Arithmetic operators are: + , − , ∗ , ∗∗ , / // , %

x + y sum of x and y
x - y difference of x and y
x * y product of x and y
x ** y exponential calculation of x and y (x y )
x / y quotient of x and y
x // y integer division of x and y. Result is rounded down to a whole number.
x % y returns the remainder of dividing x and y

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 Python interactive: Print output

Output can be printed to the user with the (build in) print function:

print("Hi, welcome to the python course")

print(3+8+2)

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 Run a simple python program from file

As your programming task might become more complex, you can save the code to a file and execute it. Open a
text editor and write down the following commands:

print("Hi, welcome to the python course")

print("Let's get started")

Save everything to a python file using an appropriate name ([Link]). Next, open the Anaconda prompt
(Windows) or terminal (Ubuntu) and navigate to the folder containing your python file.

python [Link]

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 Python IDE: Jupyter

For more complex programming tasks, it is convinient to use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). In
the last lecture we introduced Jupyter Lab, which can be started like this:
Open the Anaconda prompt (Windows) or a terminal (Ubuntu) and acitvate your Anaconda environment:

activate name_of_environment (Windows)

source activate name_of_environment (Ubuntu)

Afterwards, start Jupyter Lab and click on the link:

jupyter lab

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 Introduction to variables: What is a varaible?

Print a greeting message to the user:

print("Hello user 1")

print("Hello user 2")

Variables make your code shorter and more flexible:

name = "user name"

print("Hello ", name)

name = input("What is your name: ")

print("Hello ", name)

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 Introduction to variables: Naming convention
Variable names can contain letters, numbers and underscores

NameOfVariable = 123 #Pascal case

nameofVariable = 123 #Camel case
name_of_variable = 123 #Snake case
name_of_variable_1 = 123

Variable names can not start with a number

Varaible names can not contain spaces
Avoid python key words in variable names
Try to make your variable names short but descriptive

v_n = 123 #ok

variable_name = 123 #much better!

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 Introduction to data types
Variables describing a car:

year_of_construction = 2023
cubic_capacity = 2.5
brand = 'best car ever'
new_car = True
print("year of construction: ", year_of_construction, "new car: ", new_car
print("brand: ", brand, "cubic capacity: ", cubic_capacity)

year_of_construction = 2023.2
cubic_capacity = "enormous"
brand = 425
new_car = "yes"
print("year of construction: ", year_of_construction,"new car: ", new_car)
print("brand: ", brand, "cubic capacity: ", cubic_capacity)
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 Python data types

Numeric Types: int, float, complex

Text Type: str
Boolean Type: bool
Sequence Types: list, tuple, range
Mapping Type: dict
Set Types: set, frozenset
Binary Types: bytes, bytearray, memoryview
Note Type: NoneType

Find out about the data type of a variable:

print(type(variable))

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 Numberic data types

data type explanation examples

int signed integer 10, −13, 3745786067
float floating point real values 0.0, -24.6, 56.3e18
complex complex numbers 5.4-3j, 6j, -84j

Type conversion can be performed using the int() , float() , complex() method.
Keep in mind: int() will simply cut the decimals so e.g. 2.7 will be converted to 2.

float_variable = 2.7
int variable = int(float_variable)
_

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 Text types: Strings

'This is a string'
"This is also a string"

Strings are continuous set of characters.

Strings are surrounded by single or double quotation marks.
Strings can be used to read in text from user / data file.
Can be processed, saved or used for output.
Subsets of strings can be taken using the slice operator ( [ ] and [:] ).
Indices starting at 0 for the beginning of the string and ending with -1 for the end. Negative indices
possible.
String concatenation with the plus (+) sign, repetition with the asterisk (*)
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 Text types: Strings

str = 'Hello World!'

str2 = " Nice to meet you. "

str # Prints complete string

str[0] # Prints first character of the string
str[2:] # Prints string starting from 3rd character
str * 2 # Prints string two times
str + str2 # Prints concatenated string

'Hello World!'
'H'
'llo World!'
'Hello World!Hello World!'
'Hello World! Nice to meet you.'
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 Set types: Lists

Lists are used to store multiple items which can be of different data types.
List items are ordered, changeable and allow duplicates
To create a list we use square brackets and items are separated by comma.

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 Set types: Lists

list1=[2,6,7,3]
list2=['Hello',list1,485.3]

print(list1) # Prints complete list

print(list2[0]) # Prints first element of list
print(list1 + list2) # Concatenates list
print(list2[1][0]) # Prints first element of the second element

Output:

[2,6,7,3]
'Hello'
[2,6,7,3,'Hello',[2,6,7,3],485.3]
2

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 Set types: Tuple

Tuples are used to store multiple items in a single variable.

A tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable. I.e. the order cannot be changed and we
cannot add or remove items from a tuple.
Tuples are written with round brackets and comma separated.
To change a tuple you have to convert it to a list, change it and then convert it back to a tuple.
To add items to a tuple you have to convert it to a list or add a tuple to a tuple.

tpl1=('tom','alice',4)
#if you have a single item as a tuple, you have to add a comma
tpl2=('tennis',)

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 Set types: Sets

Sets are unordered

Set elements are unique. Sets do not allow duplicate elements.
A set itself may be modified, but the elements contained in the set must be of an immutable data type:
integer
float
complex
boolean
string
bytes
tuple

color_set = set(['green', 'red', 'blue', 'yellow', 'red']) # recommended way

color_set = {'green', 'red', 'blue', 'yellow', 'red'} # allowed, but not recommended

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 Set types: Frozensets

A frozenset is Python build-in data type which is almost identical to the set data type, except that it is immutable.
This means, you can only perform non-modifying operations on a frozenset:

color_set = frozenset(['green', 'red', 'blue', 'yellow', 'red']) # recommended way

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 Comments

In Python, comments are indicated by the hash mark # . Any text or code following the hash mark in this line is
ignored by the Python interpreter:

# print a greeting message

print("Hello ")

Comments are useful to ...

increase the readability of your code
explain your code to others (teammates, python tutors)
help you understand your own code after some time

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 Code styling: Python Enhancement Proposals (PEP)

Python is open source and hence used and developed by many people / teams. Differences in coding style or
module implementation can cause problems in collaborating and contributing to other projects.

The Python Enhancement Proposals (PEPs) is a set of design documents including guidlines on how to style
code or implement new modules.

Please write your code according to the guidelines provided in the PEP8- Style Guide for Python Code:
[Link]

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 How to work with this exercise

The examples and exercises in todays Jupyter Notebook are intended to WORK with. Please always...
... read the instructions carefully
... copy an example cell and paste it below
... run the code and see what happens
... modify the code and run it again
... document your findings in an additional Markdown cell below
... make sure to answer all the questions
... make comments

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