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Chapter 3: Brief Overview of Python 13/05/25

1. Introduction to Python

●​ Creator: Guido Van Rossum

●​ Year of Release: 1991
●​ Developed at: CWI (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica), Netherlands
●​ Name Origin: From BBC comedy series "Monty Python's Flying Circus"

Parent Languages:

●​ ABC
●​ Modula-3

Applications of Python:

●​ Software Development
●​ Web Development
●​ Scientific Computing
●​ Big Data
●​ Artificial Intelligence (AI)

2. Features of Python

1.​ General-purpose: Used for both scientific and non-scientific applications.​

2.​ Platform Independent: Runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.​

3.​ Simple & High-level: Easy to read and understand.​

4.​ Interpreted Language: Executes line-by-line, helpful for beginners.​

5.​ Readable Code: Uses English-like syntax.​

6.​ Extensible: Can be used to enhance other applications.​

7.​ Easy to Learn: Beginner-friendly.​

8.​ Case Sensitive: Python, PYTHON, and python are treated as different.

3. Advantages of Python
Advantage Explanation
 Easy to Use Simple syntax, object-oriented and compact

Expressive Language Short code with high readability

Interpreted Language Code runs line-by-line; easy to debug

Rich Library Support Built-in modules for web, email, GUI, etc.

Cross-Platform Works on multiple OS platforms

Free and Open Source Available at no cost; source code modifiable

Versatile Usage Useful in scripting, games, system admin,

etc.

4. Limitations of Python

1.​ Slower Execution: Interpreted, not fully compiled.​

2.​ Fewer Libraries: Compared to C, Java, etc.​

3.​ Weak in Type Binding: Less strict with data types.​

4.​ Not Easily Convertible: Syntax differs from other languages.​

5. Working in Python

To run Python, install the Python interpreter and use IDLE (Integrated Development and
Learning Environment).

Two Modes to Work in Python:

A. Interactive Mode
●​ Directly type and run commands.

●​ Prompt: >>> (ready for input), ... (waiting for continuation)​

●​ Best for small programs or testing.​

●​ Use # for comments.​

●​ Useful Commands:​

○​ help() – Opens help​

 ○​ help(print) – Help for specific function​

○​ credits, license(), copyright​

○​ quit() or Ctrl+D – Exit​

○​ Ctrl+F6 – Restart shell​

B. Script Mode

●​ For writing and saving longer programs.​

●​ Steps in IDLE:​

1.​ File → New Window​

2.​ Type code​

3.​ Save file (Ctrl+S)​

4.​ Run code (F5 or Run → Run Module)​

6. print() Function

●​ Used to display output​

●​ Syntax: print(<object(s)>)​

Examples:​
print("Hello World")
print('Python is Fun')

7. Python Character Set

Python uses a set of characters including:

●​ Letters: A–Z, a–z​

●​ Digits: 0–9​

●​ Special Symbols: +, -, *, /, @, etc.​

●​ Whitespace: space, tab, newline​

 ●​ Other Characters: Used in strings, identifiers, etc.​

8. Python Tokens

A Token is the smallest unit in a program (also called a lexical unit).

Types of Tokens:

1.​ Keywords​

○​ Predefined words with special meaning.​

○​ Cannot be used as variable names.​

○​ Examples:​
if, else, while, for, True, False, def, return, import, in, etc.​

2.​ Identifiers​

○​ Names used for variables, functions, classes, etc.​

○​ Rules:​

■​ Must start with a letter (A-Z/a-z) or underscore _​

■​ Can contain letters, digits, and underscore​

■​ Cannot begin with a digit​

■​ Keywords cannot be used​

■​ Case sensitive (total, Total, TOTAL are different)​

■​ Should be meaningful and short​

3.​ Literals​

○​ Constant values are assigned to variables.​

○​ Types:​

■​ String literals ("hello", 'world')​

■​ Numeric literals (10, 3.14)​

 ■​ Boolean literals (True, False)​

■​ None literal (None)​

4.​ Operators​

○​ Symbols used for calculations or comparisons.​

○​ Examples:​

■​ Arithmetic: +, -, *, /​

■​ Comparison: ==, !=, <, >​

■​ Logical: and, or, not​

5.​ Punctuators (Delimiters)​

○​ Symbols that organize code.​

○​ Examples:​
(), {}, [], :, ,, ;, @, =, ->

6. Variable

●​ A variable is a name that refers to a value.​

●​ It stores data that can change during the execution of a program.​

●​ A variable is also called an identifier.​

●​ It must follow identifier naming rules (no spaces, must start with a letter or underscore,
etc.).​

🔹 Creating Variables
Variables are created by assigning a value to a name.

age = 20 # Integer variable

average = 95.6 # Float variable

name = "CBSE" # String variable

Note: A variable is created only when a value is assigned

🔹 Multiple Assignments
1.​ Same value to multiple variables:​

a = b = c = 18

2.​ Different values to different variables:​

x, y, z = 10, 20, 30 # x=10, y=20, z=30

Data Types:

a.​ Number:
int:
Ex: age = 10
float:
Ex: per = 95.8
complex:
Ex: a = 3 + 4i

b.​ Sequence:
String:
Ex: str1 = “Hello”
str2 = “37”
str3 = ‘Python’
 List: Uses square brackets. It is mutable (can change items)
Ex: #To create a list
list1 = [1, “Amal”, “M”, “11B”,“Fujairah”]
Tuple: Uses Parenthesis. It is immutable (cannot change items)
Ex: #To create a tuple
tuple1 = (1, “Amal”, “M”, “11B”,“Fujairah”)
a.​ Mapping:
Dictionary: key-value pairs separated by commas and enclosed in curly brackets { }
Ex:
dict1 = {“Alice”: 20, “Bob” : 23, “Christy” : 25}

Operators:

1.​ Arithmetic operators:

Operator Meaning Example Result

+ Addition 5 + 3 8

- Subtraction 5 - 2 3

* Multiplication 4 * 2 8

/ Division 10 / 2 5.0

// Floor Division 10 // 3 3

% Modulus 10 % 3 1

** Exponentiation 2 ** 3 8

PT1 topic ends.

 2.​ Relational/Comparison Operators
Relational operators compare the values of the operands on either side and determine their
relationship. Here are examples using the variables `num1 = 10`, `num2 = 0`, `num3 = 10`, `str1
= "Good"`, and `str2 = "Afternoon"`:

Operator Meaning Example

== Equal to 5 == 5 → True

!= Not equal to 4 != 5 → True

> Greater than 6 > 3 → True

< Less than 2 < 5 → True

>= Greater or equal 5 >= 5 → True

<= Less or equal 4 <= 6 → True

3.​ Logical Operators

Python supports three logical operators: `and`, `or`, and `not`, which must be written in
lowercase. Based on the logical operands on either side, these operators evaluate to `True` or
`False`.

Operator Meaning Example

and Both True 5 > 2 and 4 < 6 → True

or At least one True 5 > 2 or 4 > 6 → True

not Reverse value not(5 > 2) → False

4.​ Assignment Operators

Assignment operators are used to assign or change the value of a variable.

Operator Meaning Example

= Assign x = 5

+= Add and assign x += 3 → x = x + 3

-= Subtract and assign x -= 2

*= Multiply and assign x *= 4

5.​ Membership Operators

Used to check if a value exists in a sequence (like a list, string, etc.).

in – Returns True if the value is found.​

​
numSeq = [1, 2, 3]
2 in numSeq # True
'1' in numSeq # False (string vs number)

not in – Returns True if the value is not found.​

​
​
10 not in numSeq # True
1 not in numSeq # False

Expressions

An expression combines values, variables, and operators to produce a result.

Examples:
num - 20.4
23 / 3 - 5 * (14 - 2)
"Global" + "Citizen"

Operator Precedence

Precedence decides which operator runs first in a complex expression.

Important Rules:

●​ Parentheses () run first.​

●​ Then follow operator rules (e.g., * before +).​

●​ Left to right for same-level operators.​

Examples:

1.​ 20 + 30 * 40​
→ 30 * 40 = 1200, then 20 + 1200 = 1220​

2.​ (20 + 30) * 40​

→ 50 * 40 = 2000​

3.​ 15.0 / 4.0 + (8 + 3.0)​

→ 3.75 + 11.0 = 14.75​

input() in Python

The input() function takes user input from the keyboard. All input is treated as a string, even
if the user types a number.

How it works:

●​ It shows a message (optional) and waits for the user to type something.​

●​ It always returns the input as a string.​

Example 1:

name = input("Enter your name: ")

print("Hello", name)
Example 2 (convert input to number):
age = int(input("Enter your age: "))
print(age + 5)

Use int() for integers and float() for decimals.

Debugging in Python
Debugging is finding and fixing errors in a program to ensure it runs correctly and gives the right
output.

Errors in a program can:

●​ Stop it from running​

●​ Or make it produce the wrong result​

Types of Errors

Python programs may contain the following three types of errors:

1. Syntax Errors

●​ Happens when the code breaks Python’s grammar rules.​

●​ The program will not run until the error is fixed.​

●​ Example: Missing a parenthesis​

print("Hello" # ❌ Syntax Error

2. Logical Errors (Semantic Errors)

 ●​ The program runs without crashing, but gives the wrong output.​

●​ These errors are hard to detect because the program seems fine.​

●​ Example: Wrong formula for average​

average = 10 + 12 / 2 # ❌ Wrong logic

# Correct: (10 + 12) / 2

3. Runtime Errors

●​ Happens while the program is running.​

●​ The syntax is correct, but the program crashes due to an invalid operation.​

●​ Example: Dividing by zero​

x = 5 / 0 # ❌ Runtime Error: Division by zero

Function
A function is a block of code that performs a specific task.​
It helps in code reusability and modular programming.

Types of Functions

1.​ Built-in Functions – Already available in Python (e.g., print(), len(), sum())​

2.​ User-defined Functions – Created by the programmer using def

Syntax of a Function

def function_name(parameters):
# code block
return value #The return keyword returns the result from
the function.
Conditional Statements
Conditional statements help us make decisions in a program based on certain conditions.

1. if Statement

The if statement checks a condition. If the condition is True, it runs the code inside it.

🔸 Syntax:
if condition:
# code block

🔸 Example:
age = 18
if age >= 18:
print("You can vote.")

2. if-else Statement

If the condition is True, it runs the if block.​

If the condition is False, it runs the else block.

🔸 Syntax:
if condition:
# code if true
else:
# code if false

🔸 Example:
marks = 40
if marks >= 50:
print("Pass")
else:
print("Fail")

3. if-elif-else Statement

Used when you have multiple conditions to check.

🔸 Syntax:
if condition1:
# block 1
elif condition2:
# block 2
else:
# default block

🔸 Example:
grade = 85
if grade >= 90:
print("A Grade")
elif grade >= 75:
print("B Grade")
elif grade >= 60:
print("C Grade")
else:
print("Fail")

Loops in Python
1. For Loops

●​ Used for iterating over a sequence.​

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for fruit in fruits:
print(fruit)
# Output:
# apple
# banana
# cherry

2. While Loops

●​ Repeats as long as the condition is true.

i = 1
while i <= 5:
print(i)
i += 1
# Output:
# 1
# 2
# 3
# 4
# 5

3. Range Function

●​ Generates a sequence of numbers.​

for i in range(1, 10, 2):

print(i)
# Output:
# 1
# 3
# 5
# 7
# 9

Explanation of range(start, stop, step):

●​ start: where to begin (default 0)​

●​ stop: where to stop (not included)​

●​ Step: How much to increment

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