Python for Beginners
A Step-by-Step Introduction
Your Name
Your School
August 29, 2025
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What is Python?
A high-level programming language
Created by Guido van Rossum in 1991
Known for its simple, readable syntax
Used for:
Web development
Data analysis
Artificial Intelligence
Scientific computing
Automation
[Link]
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Your First Python Program
The classic first program
1 print ( " Hello , World ! " )
print() is a function that outputs text
Text inside quotes is called a ”string”
Python executes code line by line
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Variables and Data Types
1 # String
2 name = " Alice "
3 # Integer
Variables store information
4 age = 25 No need to declare type
5 # Float
Basic data types:
6 height = 1.75
7 # Boolean Strings (text)
8 is_student = True Integers (whole numbers)
9 Floats (decimal numbers)
0 print ( name ) Booleans (True/False)
1 print ( age )
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Getting User Input
1 name = input ( " What is your name ? " )
2 print ( " Hello , " + name + " ! " )
3
4 age = input ( " How old are you ? " )
5 # Convert string to integer
6 age = int ( age )
7 next_year = age + 1
8 print ( " Next year you will be " , next_year )
input() gets text from the user
Returns a string, even if numbers are entered
Use int() or float() to convert to numbers
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Conditional Statements (if/elif/else)
1 age = int ( input ( " How old are you ? " ) )
2
3 if age >= 18:
4 print ( " You are an adult " )
5 elif age >= 13:
6 print ( " You are a teenager " )
7 else :
8 print ( " You are a child " )
9
10 print ( " This runs no matter what " )
if checks a condition
elif checks another condition if the first was false
else runs if all conditions are false
Colon (:) and indentation are crucial!
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Lists
1 # Create a list
2 fruits = [ " apple " , " banana " , " cherry " ]
3 numbers = [1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5]
4
5 # Access elements ( starts at 0)
6 print ( fruits [0]) # apple
7 print ( fruits [1]) # banana
8
9 # Add to list
10 fruits . append ( " orange " )
11
12 # Loop through list
13 for fruit in fruits :
14 print ( " I like " , fruit )
Lists store multiple items in order
Items can be accessed by their index (position)
Index starts at 0, not 1!
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Loops
1 # For loop
2 for i in range (5) :
for loops: repeat a set number of times
3 print ( i ) while loops: repeat while condition is
4
true
5 # While loop
6 count = 0 range(n) generates numbers from 0 to
7 while count < 5: n-1
8 print ( count )
9 count += 1 # Same as count =
break exits a loop early
count + 1 continue skips to next iteration
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Functions
1 # Define a function
2 def greet ( name ) :
3 print ( " Hello , " + name + " ! " )
4
5 # Call the function
6 greet ( " Alice " )
7 greet ( " Bob " )
8
9 # Function with return value
10 def square ( number ) :
11 return number * number
12
13 result = square (5)
14 print ( result ) # 25
Functions are reusable code blocks
Defined with def keyword
Can accept parameters (inputs)
Can return values (outputs)
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Python Keywords Cheat Sheet
except - Handle exceptions
finally - Always execute code
for - For loop
from - Import specific parts
False, True - Boolean values global - Global variable
and, or, not - Logical operators if - If condition
as - Alias for imports import - Import modules
assert - Debugging tool in - Check if value exists
break - Exit loop is - Identity comparison
class - Define a class lambda - Anonymous function
continue - Skip to next iteration None - Null value
def - Define function nonlocal - Non-local variable
del - Delete object pass - Do nothing
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Practice Exercise: Guessing Game
1 import random
2
3 # Generate random number between 1 -10
4 secret_number = random . randint (1 , 10)
5 guess = 0
6 attempts = 0
7
8 print ( " I ’m thinking of a number between 1 and 10. " )
9
10 while guess != secret_number :
11 guess = int ( input ( " Take a guess : " ) )
12 attempts += 1
13
14 if guess < secret_number :
15 print ( " Too low ! " )
16 elif guess > secret_number :
17 print ( " Too high ! " )
18 else :
19 print ( f " Congratulations ! You guessed it in { attempts } tries ! " )
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Next Steps in Your Python Journey
Practice with small projects
Learn about dictionaries and tuples
Explore file handling (reading/writing files)
Understand error handling (try/except)
Discover Python modules (like math, datetime)
Try simple game development with Pygame
Explore web development with Flask or Django
Learn about data analysis with Pandas
Keep coding and have fun!
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