Python 101: Learn to Program in 14 Days

Set up Python and an integrated development environment, write basic print statements, functions, and variables, and explore Python's cross-platform readability for websites, automation, data analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Install Python from python.org for Windows, Mac, or Linux, and run the installer. Choose install now or customize features like pip, documentation, shortcuts, and associations, then install integrated development environment.

learn to install the PyCharm community edition on Windows, macOS, or Linux, covering download, install location, path variable, file associations, and rebooting to launch the IDE.

Explore variables and the print function in Python, printing strings and a welcome message, storing values in memory, and updating them with variables.

Learn how to perform Python arithmetic with variables and operators, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, exponent, division, and modulus. Create and run a math ops program that prints the results.

Learn how to use Python comments to document code, including single-line and multi-line comments with hashtags and triple quotes, and how to leverage f-strings for debugging and clarity.

Learn three Python string formatting methods: percent operator, format function, and f-strings. Apply them to dynamic messages using variables like course_day and python_series.

Learn to install python 3 and set up PyCharm. Practice variables, strings, and numbers, use basic operators, and format strings with concatenation and the format function.

Explore core data types on day two, including lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets, and learn how to group items and mix multiple data types for flexible programming.

Learn how to create Python lists with square brackets, store data types (strings, numbers, tuples, sets, dictionaries), print lists, and build nested lists through examples like geek names and ages.

Index lists in Python using zero-based positions, negative indices for the end, and the length function to count items; practice slicing ranges and finding item positions with index.

Learn to modify Python lists using common functions like extend, append, insert, remove, clear, pop, count, sort, reverse, and copy, with practical examples and usage in code.

Practice Python list functions by extending nerd names with geek names, appending ages, inserting at a specific index, removing items, clearing, popping, counting occurrences, sorting, reversing, and copying lists.

Explore tuples in Python and see how they differ from lists: tuples use parentheses and remain unchanged, so you cannot add or remove items once created.

Explore sets in Python by using a die, vowels, and alphabet subsets to show no duplicates, unordered data, and operations like intersection, difference, and union, plus membership checks.

Explore how Python uses implicit type conversion to automatically infer string, integer, float, list, tuple, and set types with the type() function, and how explicit conversion compares.

Explore lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries, and learn when to use each for mutable collections or key-value pairs, plus implicit and explicit type conversions.

Explore Python day three as you learn about operators, including arithmetic, assignment, bitwise, comparison, logical, and membership operators, with practical examples and projects to apply your skills.

Learn Python operators, including arithmetic, assignment operators, bitwise, and comparisons, and build variables, use logical and membership tests, and create Fahrenheit-Celsius converters.

Prompt for user input in Python, store it in a name variable, and print personalized greetings with proper spacing. Explore basic data types and simple calculations like an age calculator.

Learn how to collect user input with the input function, store responses in variables, and retrieve workouts from a dictionary, with optional random selection.

Master Python by examining comparison operators, if statements, and how additional conditions extend an if statement. Compare while loops and for loops for processing a collection with indentation.

Learn how for loops in Python iterate over strings and lists, printing elements one by one, with range showing inclusive/exclusive bounds and the choice between for and while loops.

Master comparison operators and if statements in Python, using elif and else, and apply while and for loops to iterate over strings and lists.

Explore how to use try-except blocks in Python to handle errors, with finally, else, and raising exceptions. Apply type checks and read built-in documentation.

Learn to use try and except blocks to catch errors like zero division error, display friendly messages such as cannot divide by zero, and refine handling with except clauses.

Master Python error handling with try, except, else, and finally blocks; learn to handle division by zero, print results, and ensure cleanup with finally.

Day six reinforces core Python concepts, including try statements, the finally block, else statements, and raising exceptions. It also points learners to Python 3 documentation for exploring available exceptions.

On day seven, you tackle your nerd challenge: build a Python calculator in terminal. Use simple operations with Opie, number one, and number two; the advanced calculator is under development.

Walk through the Python simple calculator solution line by line, detailing input handling, lowercasing for operators, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide logic, noting bugs and the advanced variant.

Casey congratulates learners on finishing week one and the first half of Python 101, encourages continued practice to improve, and previews week two covering functions and more topics.

Learn to create your own functions and use built-in functions like print and input in Python; understand parameters and arguments, define and call functions, and consult the Python docs.

Navigate Python's built-in function documentation to learn signatures, positional and keyword arguments, and defaults. Understand how print and input demonstrate standard output, file writing, and argument behavior.

Learn to build and use Python functions to perform math operations, convert input types, and return values, enabling calculators and triangle area calculations with user prompts.

Explore built-in functions, arguments, and user-defined functions, learn about parameters and the return statement, and consult Python documentation to build repeatable code as a software engineer.

Learn to install third-party Python packages with pip and build a simple PySimpleGUI app that collects a name and displays a greeting.

Learn to import modules, use built-in modules such as os and the operator module, create a custom module in PyCharm, and explore third-party packages such as Pie Simple and Gooey.