🐍 Python for Data Science – Basics Summary
🔰 Introduction
Course assumes some coding experience.
Covers Python syntax, variables, arithmetic, and basic functions.
📌 Python Basics
✅ Variable Assignment
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spam_amount = 0
= is the assignment operator.
No need to declare type or initialize variables beforehand.
✅ Print Function
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print(spam_amount)
print() outputs to console.
✅ Comments
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# This is a comment
✅ Reassignment and Arithmetic
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spam_amount = spam_amount + 4
You can reassign variables using arithmetic expressions.
🔁 Conditional Statements
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if spam_amount > 0:
print("But I don't want ANY spam!")
if starts a code block (indentation matters!).
Colons : signal the start of an indented block.
🧵 Strings and Operators
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viking_song = "Spam " * spam_amount
print(viking_song)
Strings can be repeated using *.
Operator overloading allows * to work with strings and numbers.
🔢 Data Types
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type(0) → int
type(19.95) → float
int: whole numbers
float: decimals
type() checks data type
➕ Arithmetic Operators
Operat Example (a = 5, Resul
Name
or b = 2) t
+ Addition a+b→7
- Subtraction a - b → 3
Multiplicatio
* a * b → 10
n
/ True Division a / b → 2.5 Float
Floor
// a // b → 2 Int
Division
% Modulus a%b→1
** Exponentiati a ** b → 25
Operat Example (a = 5, Resul
Name
or b = 2) t
on
-a Negation -a → -5
🧠 Order of Operations (PEMDAS)
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total = (hat_height + my_height) / 100
Use parentheses () to control calculation order.
🛠 Built-in Functions
min(a, b, c): Smallest value
max(a, b, c): Largest value
abs(x): Absolute value
int(): Converts to integer
float(): Converts to float
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int('807') + 1 → 808
----------
🧠 Functions in Python – Short Notes
📘 Getting Help in Python
help() is a built-in function used to get documentation about other
functions.
Example:
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help(round)
Avoid calling the function inside help (e.g., help(round())); pass the
function name, not its result.
🔧 Understanding Function Signatures
round(number, ndigits=None)
o number: required argument
o ndigits: optional, defaults to None
print(value, ..., sep=' ', end='\n', file=[Link], flush=False)
o Has multiple optional keyword arguments.
Defining Functions
Syntax:
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def function_name(parameters):
# block of code
return result
Example:
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def least_difference(a, b, c):
return min(abs(a-b), abs(b-c), abs(a-c))
📄 Docstrings
Description added just after function definition using triple quotes """.
Helps describe what the function does.
Example:
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def greet():
"""This function prints a greeting."""
print("Hello!")
help(greet) will now show the docstring.
❌ Functions Without return
If no return is specified, function returns None.
Used when function has side effects like print().
🧩 Default Arguments
Provide default values to parameters:
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def greet(who="Colin"):
print("Hello,", who)
Can override defaults by passing arguments:
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greet("Kaggle") # Output: Hello, Kaggle
🔁 Functions as Arguments
You can pass functions as arguments to other functions.
Example:
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def call(fn, arg):
return fn(arg)
Higher-order functions: functions that take other functions as inputs or
return them.
📈 Using key with max()
max() can take a key function to determine comparison basis:
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def mod_5(x):
return x % 5
max(100, 51, 14, key=mod_5) # Returns 14
------------
🟩 Booleans in Python
bool type has two values: True and False
Created by:
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x = True
type(x) # <class 'bool'>
🟨 Comparison Operators
Operati
Meaning
on
a == b a equals b
a != b a not equal to b
a<b a less than b
a>b a greater than b
a less than or equal to
a <= b
b
a greater than or equal
a >= b
to b
Examples:
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'3' == 3 # False
3.0 == 3 # True
🟧 Functions Using Comparisons
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def can_run_for_president(age):
return age >= 35
🟥 Modulus and Boolean Use Case
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def is_odd(n):
return (n % 2) == 1
❗ Use == for comparison, not =
🟦 Combining Boolean Values
Use: and, or, not
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def can_run_for_president(age, is_natural_born_citizen):
return is_natural_born_citizen and (age >= 35)
Order of operations:
not > and > or
✔ Use parentheses to clarify precedence.
🟪 Example: Weather Preparedness
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prepared_for_weather = (
have_umbrella
or ((rain_level < 5) and have_hood)
or (not (rain_level > 0 and is_workday))
)
🟫 Conditionals (if, elif, else)
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def inspect(x):
if x == 0:
print("zero")
elif x > 0:
print("positive")
else:
print("negative")
Use colons : and indentation to define blocks
elif = “else if”; optional and repeatable
🟥 Boolean Conversion
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bool(1) # True
bool(0) # False
bool("hi") # True
bool("") # False
Non-zero numbers and non-empty strings/lists → True
0, "", [], etc. → False
Used implicitly:
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if 0:
print("won’t run")
elif "spam":
print("spam") # This prints
✅ Lists
Definition: Ordered, mutable collections.
Creation:
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primes = [2, 3, 5, 7]
Types: Can contain any data type, even other lists.
Indexing:
o list[0] – first element
o list[-1] – last element
Slicing:
o list[start:end] – elements from start to end-1
o list[:3], list[3:], list[1:-1], etc.
Mutability:
o Lists can be modified using assignment:
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planets[3] = 'Malacandra'
planets[:3] = ['Mur', 'Vee', 'Ur']
Useful Functions:
o len(), sorted(), sum(), min(), max()
Common Methods:
o append() – adds to the end
o pop() – removes and returns the last item
o index() – finds the index of an item
o in operator – checks membership
🧠 Objects & Methods
Objects: Everything in Python is an object.
Attributes: Non-function properties (e.g., [Link])
Methods: Functions attached to objects (e.g., x.bit_length())
📦 Tuples
Definition: Ordered, immutable collections.
Creation:
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t = (1, 2, 3)
t = 1, 2, 3 # same
Immutability:
o Cannot change elements (t[0] = 100 → ❌ TypeError)
Use case: Often used to return multiple values from a function.
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x = 0.125
numerator, denominator = x.as_integer_ratio()
🔁 Loops Overview
Loops allow repeated execution of code.
🪐 for Loop
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planets = ['Mercury', 'Venus', 'Earth', ...]
for planet in planets:
print(planet, end=' ')
Iterates over items in any iterable: list, tuple, string, etc.
Structure: for <var> in <iterable>:
🧮 Looping Over Other Types
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# Tuple
multiplicands = (2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5)
product = 1
for mult in multiplicands:
product *= mult # 360
# String
s = 'someText'
for char in s:
if [Link]():
print(char, end='')
Works with tuples, strings, or anything that supports iteration.
🔢 range()
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for i in range(5):
print(i)
Produces numbers from 0 to n-1
Can also use range(start, stop, step)
🔁 while Loop
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i=0
while i < 10:
print(i)
i += 1
Repeats while the condition is True.
🔄 List Comprehensions
Compact way to create lists.
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squares = [n**2 for n in range(10)]
# Equivalent to:
squares = []
for n in range(10):
[Link](n**2)
With condition:
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short_planets = [planet for planet in planets if len(planet) < 6]
With transformation + condition:
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[[Link]() + '!' for planet in planets if len(planet) < 6]
🔍 List Comprehension as Filtering/Counting Tool
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def count_negatives(nums):
return len([num for num in nums if num < 0])
Or even:
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def count_negatives(nums):
return sum([num < 0 for num in nums])
(Because True is 1 and False is 0 in Python.)
🧘♂️Final Advice (from Zen of Python)
Readability counts.
Explicit is better than implicit.
Use concise tools like comprehensions—but always prefer clarity.
Strings
Definition & Syntax
Can be enclosed in single or double quotes:
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'hello' == "hello"
Use escaping (\) to include quotes or special characters:
\', \", \\, \n (newline)
Multi-line & Print
Triple-quoted strings allow literal newlines:
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"""line1
line2"""
print(..., end='') prevents auto-newline
Sequence behavior
Support indexing, slicing, len(), iteration
Immutable – cannot change in place
Common methods
.upper(), .lower()
.index(sub), .startswith(prefix), .endswith(suffix)
Splitting & Joining
.split() → list of words
[Link](list) → string with sep between items
Formatting
Concatenate with +, but better:
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"{} weighs about {:.2} kg".format(var, num)
Supports positional formatting, number formatting, commas, percent,
exponents
Dictionaries
Definition
Key→value mappings:
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d = {'one': 1, 'two': 2}
Access & Modify
Access via d[key]; add/change via assignment:
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d['three'] = 3
Comprehensions
Create dicts from iterables:
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{p: p[0] for p in planets}
Membership & Iteration
key in d checks presence
Looping iterates keys:
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for k in d:
print(k, d[k])
Convenient methods
.keys(), .values(), .items() for keys, values, and key-value pairs
Use .items() to loop with unpacking:
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for k, v in [Link]():
...
🚀 Imports in Python
Standard vs. external libraries:
o Standard library modules (like math) are built-in.
o External packages (e.g., numpy, pandas) can be installed via pip.
Import syntax:
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import math
import math as mt # alias
from math import log, pi # specific names
from math import * # discouraged: can cause name conflicts
Why avoid import *:
o Overwrites names from other modules
o Harder to track name origins and debug
Submodules:
o Modules can contain other modules:
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[Link](...)
🔍 Exploring Unknown Library Objects
When working with unfamiliar objects (e.g., [Link]), use these tools:
1. type(obj) → shows class/type
2. dir(obj) → lists attributes and methods
3. help(obj) → detailed documentation
Example:
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rolls = [Link](...)
type(rolls) # → [Link]
dir(rolls) # → methods like mean(), shape
help([Link]) # explains what it does
✨ Operator Overloading
Python allows custom behavior for operators (+, <, in, etc.) via special
methods like __add__, __lt__, __contains__.
Example differences:
o Lists: [1,2,3] + 10 → error
o NumPy arrays: array + 10 → adds 10 to every element
o TensorFlow Tensor: a + b → returns symbolic tensor, not immediate
value
Overloaded operators make expressions intuitive (e.g., df[(df['pop'] > 1e6)
& (df['continent']=='SA')]), but they can hide complex behaviors.
🧭 Takeaways
Use explicit imports and clear aliases to avoid conflicts.
Explore unknown types with type(), dir(), help().
Be aware that operators might behave differently depending on the object
(due to overloading).
As you work with third-party libraries, learning these tools will help you
navigate and debug code effectively.