An Introduction to Programming using Python

Learn how to define and use variables in Python, print them, and understand input and output, plus types like string and integer, using the type function to identify values.

Explore Python Tutor to visualize variable creation and execution, as name and age populate the global frame and frames show each step of code in real time.

Learn to use the Python print function to display numbers, strings, and variables, handle quotes correctly, and format strings with a variable substitution using the format function.

Learn to read user input in Python with the input function, store it in a variable, convert the string to a number with int, and print formatted results.

Shows how to build a complete Python program from user input to output, using comments, variables, and type conversion to calculate birth year and print a formatted result.

Write a Python program that prompts for two numbers from the user, converts inputs to floats, and prints their sum.

Present a self-assessment solution for a basic Python test that reads two numbers as floats, sums them, and prints a formatted result.

Master a self-assessment task by writing a Python program that reads feet and inches, converts to centimeters using 2.54 cm per inch, and prints a formatted result.

Learn to convert feet and inches to centimeters in Python by converting inputs to integers, summing total inches, multiplying by 2.54, and printing a formatted result.

Explore the bool data type and boolean operators in Python, including and, or, not and the membership operator, with examples and common mistakes to build simple programs.

Explore Python's comparison operators for numbers, which return booleans, and see how they combine with logical operators, while noting the equality vs assignment distinction.

Understand the in operator, which returns a boolean for membership tests like item in bag or item not in bag, and distinguish assignment from comparison using = vs ==.

Write a small Python program that asks for two numbers, converts them to floats, and prints whether the numbers are not equal.

Write a program that asks the user for two strings, compares the strings, and prints whether they are equal.

Write a Python program that prompts for an integer and uses the modulus operator to determine even or odd by checking for a zero or nonzero remainder.

Learn a Python self-assessment solution that converts input to an integer, checks evenness with modulus two, and discusses true, false, variable naming, and logical operators.

Explore the if construct and its else and chaining to build decision based Python programs, using Spyder and Python Tutor, with interactive age checks and conditional messages.

Explore how an if construct evaluates a condition in Python, using age and drinking age to show true executions and skipped blocks.

Explore the if else construct in Python by handling true and false conditions, using proper indentation, and ensuring code blocks execute only when the condition is met.

Understand how the if else construct operates in Python by converting values to integers, evaluating conditions, and executing only one block at a time, with Python Tutor to visualize execution.

Introduce the elif construct to handle multiple choices, using user input of a color and Python's lower() to normalize case, ensuring only one branch prints (red, green, blue).

Learn how Python uses chained if statements to test colors, normalize input to lowercase, and use an optional else as a catch-all message.

Learn how to use independent if statements in Python to calculate a coffee order with add-ons (large, sugar, cream), handle case-insensitive input, and format the total cost precisely.

Explore Python conditionals and the pitfalls of separating if statements in a coffee cost example, showing how independent ifs versus if-else blocks affect final prices.

Write a Python program that asks for a month, converts input to int, and prints days in that month. Use if/elif with or, and include an else for invalid input.

Write a Python program that prompts the user for a number and prints whether it is even or odd, illustrating input, conditional logic, and output.

Explore a Python solution that converts input to an int, uses if, elif, and else with modulus two to classify even or odd numbers, and handles invalid input.

Engage in a self-assessment that guides you to write a Python program: prompt for a letter, determine if it is a vowel, and print the corresponding message.

Demonstrate a Python solution that reads a letter, converts it to lowercase, and checks if it is a vowel with if/elif logic, then contrast decision-based programming with upcoming iteration.

Explore iteration-based programming in Python by using for and while loops, learning to repeat tasks via range and iterables, and recognizing infinite loops.

Explore how the for loop operates by simulating it with a range and a list. See modulo checks, printing, and triple-quoted comments shaping flow and previewing the while loop.

Learn how the while loop supersedes the for loop, with initialization, a stop condition, and guaranteed increment to prevent infinite loops, plus examples of even-number printing and user input prompts.

Explore the while loop in Python, learning why the increment must run every iteration, how placing it inside a conditional causes infinite loops, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Learn how to create infinite loops in Python using a while loop with true, and exit gracefully via break after user input of q (lowercased).

Shows how infinite loops run in Python, using user input and a sentinel value to exit, with break transferring execution outside the loop.

Learn to implement the fizzbuzz program in Python by looping from 1 to a user-entered number, printing fizz, buzz, or fizzbuzz for multiples, with 20 items per line.

Learn to write a Python program that reads an integer, sums its digits using a while loop, and prints the total by extracting digits with modulus and integer division.

Follow along as this solution reads an integer input and uses a loop with modulus ten and integer division to sum its digits, preserving the original number with a copy.

write a Python program that reads an integer, iterates digits with a while loop using modulus and division to count even digits, and prints the total.

Count the even digits in an input integer using a while loop, modulus, and integer division, while preserving the original value and introducing iteration concepts for Python data structures.

Learn to create and manipulate lists in python, accessing items by index, using methods like append, insert, and sort, and iterating with for loops to process data.

Learn to copy lists to preserve the original, reverse a copy, slice and merge lists, and create sorted copies using the sorted function.

Discover how lists are mutable and act as pointers, and how assignment links lists to the same data. Learn to copy lists and use sorted to keep originals intact.

Explore dictionaries in Python by building a vocab dict of Spanish terms, updating values, and iterating with keys(), values(), and items().

Learn to build a letter frequency histogram by iterating over a word and updating a dictionary. Observe how dictionary.get(letter, 0) initializes missing entries and increments counts, with examples like apple.

Explore dictionaries in Python, focusing on mutability and counting letter occurrences to build a histogram. Compare key checks with the get method and a zero default using the word apple.

Use a while loop to collect fruit names until the user enters q to quit. Update a dictionary of counts using get, then print the tally.

Use a Python dictionary of student names and GPAs to select those with a GPA of at least 3.5, build a list, and print the dean's honor roll.

This video walks through solving a Python programming exercise by iterating a dictionary of student GPAs, selecting those at or above 3.5 into a dean's list, and printing the results.

Explore how to filter a dictionary of students by a GPA range using user input, with if-else logic to print matching rows or a no-honor-roll message.

Learn to filter students by GPA within user-specified lower and upper limits using a dictionary, building and printing a results list while troubleshooting common errors.

Define and test functions in python using def, lowercase and camel case naming, parentheses, arguments, and return values, and understand scope through indentation while calling and printing inside the function.

Explore how to define and call functions in Python, distinguish function declaration from execution, and understand how code inside or outside a function runs when visualizing with Python Tutor.

Define a function with a message parameter and print it to show how an argument replaces a parameter, and how the argument count should match the parameter count.

Explore how function calls in Python use two arguments by creating a local frame for the function, substituting parameter placeholders with actual arguments, returning to the global frame after execution.

Learn how to define functions that return values, such as returning the sum of a list and the first item, and how to capture multiple returns in variables.

Explore how functions with arguments return values interact with global and local frames, returning tuples, and how passing lists can alter the original or be copied to avoid changes.

Develop a Python function to count digits in an integer using a while loop and the absolute value, returning the digit count for both positive and negative numbers.

Write a Python function named biggest_in_list that returns the largest item in a list without using the built-in max, by iterating and updating the current largest.

Initialize the maximum with the first list item, then iterate through the data with a for loop to compare each item and update the maximum when needed, returning the maximum.

Write and test a Python function that accepts cents, removes dollars, and returns the number of quarters in the remaining cents.

Explain how to strip dollars with modulus 100, compute remaining cents, and find quarters using integer division by 25, then return the available quarters.

Celebrate mastering Python fundamentals—variables, data types, conditionals, iteration, data structures, and functions—and begin applying them to real-world Python applications in ai, economics, and more.