Lecture Two
Input, Processing and
Output
The CSC213 Team
[2020|2021]
Topics
Designing a Program
Input, Processing, and Output
Displaying Output with print Function
Comments
Variables
Reading Input from the Keyboard
Performing Calculations
More About Data Output 2
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Designing a Program (1 of 3)
Programs must be designed before they are
written
Program development cycle:
Design the program
Write the code
Correct syntax errors
Test the program
Correct logic errors
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Designing a Program (2 of 3)
Design is the most important part of the
program development cycle
Understand the task that the program is to
perform
Work with customer to get a sense what the program
is supposed to do
Ask questions about program details
Create one or more software requirements
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Designing a Program (3 of 3)
Determine the steps that must be taken to
perform the task
Break down required task into a series of steps
Create an algorithm, listing logical steps that
must be taken
Algorithm: set of well-defined logical steps
that must be taken to perform a task
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Pseudocode
Pseudocode: fake code
Informal language that has no syntax rule
Not meant to be compiled or executed
Used to create model program
No need to worry about syntax errors, can focus on
program’s design
Can be translated directly into actual code in any
programming language
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Flowcharts
Flowchart: diagram that graphically depicts
the steps in a program
Ovals are terminal symbols
Parallelograms are input and output symbols
Rectangles are processing symbols
Symbols are connected by arrows that represent the
flow of the program
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Input, Processing, and Output
Typically, computer performs three-step
process
Receive input
Input: any data that the program receives while it is
running
Perform some process on the input
Example: mathematical calculation
Produce output
Displaying Output with the print 10
Function
Function: piece of prewritten code that performs
an operation
print function:
Displays output on the screen
Argument: data given to a function
Example: data that is printed to screen
Statements in a program execute in the order
that they appear
From top to bottom
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Strings and String Literals
String: sequence of characters that is used as
data
String literal: string that appears in actual
code of a program
Must be enclosed in single (‘) or double (“) quote
marks
String literal can be enclosed in triple quotes ('''
or """)
Enclosed string can contain both single and double
quotes and can have multiple lines
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Comments
Comments: notes of explanation within a
program
Ignored by Python interpreter
Intended for a person reading the program’s code
Begin with a # character
End-line comment: appears at the end of a
line of code
Typically explains the purpose of that line
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Variables
Variable: name that represents a value stored in
the computer memory
Used to access and manipulate data stored in memory
A variable references the value it represents
Assignment statement: used to create a variable
and make it reference data
General format is variable = expression
Example: age = 29
Assignment operator: the equal sign (=)
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Variables (cont’d.)
In assignment statement, variable receiving
value must be on left side
A variable can be passed as an argument to a
function
Variable name should not be enclosed in quote
marks
You can only use a variable if a value is
assigned to it
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Variable Naming Rules
Rules for naming variables in Python:
Variable name cannot be a Python keyword
Variable name cannot contain spaces
First character must be a letter or an underscore
After first character may use letters, digits, or
underscores
Variable names are case sensitive
Variable name should reflect its use
Displaying Multiple Items with the 16
print Function
Python allows one to display multiple items
with a single call to print
Items are separated by commas when passed as
arguments
Arguments displayed in the order they are passed
to the function
Items are automatically separated by a space when
displayed on screen
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Variable Reassignment
Variables can reference different values
while program is running
Garbage collection: removal of values that
are no longer referenced by variables
Carried out by Python interpreter
A variable can refer to item of any type
Variable that has been assigned to one type can be
reassigned to another type
Numeric Data Types, Literals, and 18
the str Data Type
Data types: categorize value in memory
e.g., int for integer, float for real number, str
used for storing strings in memory
Numeric literal: number written in a program
No decimal point considered int, otherwise,
considered float
Some operations behave differently depending
on data type
Reassigning a Variable to a 19
Different Type
A variable in Python can refer to items of
any type
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Reading Input from the Keyboard
Most programs need to read input from the
user
Built-in input function reads input from
keyboard
Returns the data as a string
Format: variable = input(prompt)
prompt is typically a string instructing user to enter a value
Does not automatically display a space after the prompt
Reading Numbers with the input 21
Function
input function always returns a string
Built-in functions convert between data types
int(item) converts item to an int
float(item) converts item to a float
Nested function call: general format:
function1(function2(argument))
value returned by function2 is passed to function1
Type conversion only works if item is valid numeric value, otherwise, throws
exception
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Performing Calculations
Math expression: performs calculation and gives a
value
Math operator: tool for performing calculation
Operands: values surrounding operator
Variables can be used as operands
Resulting value typically assigned to variable
Two types of division:
/ operator performs floating point division
// operator performs integer division
Positive results truncated, negative rounded away from zero
Operator Precedence and Grouping 23
with Parentheses
Python operator precedence:
Operations enclosed in parentheses
Forces operations to be performed before others
Exponentiation (**)
Multiplication (*), division (/ and //), and
remainder (%)
Addition (+) and subtraction (-)
Higher precedence performed first
Same precedence operators execute from left to right
The Exponent Operator and the 24
Remainder Operator
Exponent operator (**): Raises a number to a
power
x ** y = xy
Remainder operator (%): Performs division and returns the remainder
a.k.a. modulus operator
e.g., 4%2=0, 5%2=1
Typically used to convert times and distances, and to detect odd or even
numbers
Converting Math Formulas to 25
Programming Statements
Operator required for any mathematical
operation
When converting mathematical expression to
programming statement:
May need to add multiplication operators
May need to insert parentheses
Mixed-Type Expressions and Data Type 26
Conversion
Data type resulting from math operation
depends on data types of operands
Two int values: result is an int
Two float values: result is a float
int and float: int temporarily converted to float,
result of the operation is a float
Mixed-type expression
Type conversion of float to int causes truncation
of fractional part
Breaking Long Statements into 27
Multiple Lines
Long statements cannot be viewed on screen
without scrolling and cannot be printed without
cutting off
Multiline continuation character (\): Allows to
break a statement into multiple lines
Example:
print(‘my first name is’,\
first_name)
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More About Data Output
print function displays line of output
Newline character at end of printed data
Special argument end=‘delimiter’ causes print to
place delimiter at end of data instead of newline
character
print function uses space as item separator
Special argument sep=‘delimiter’ causes print to
use delimiter as item separator
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More About Data Output (cont’d.)
Special characters appearing in string
literal
Preceded by backslash (\)
Examples: newline (\n), horizontal tab (\t)
Treated as commands embedded in string
When + operator used on two strings it
performs string concatenation
Useful for breaking up a long string literal
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Formatting Numbers
Can format display of numbers on screen using built-
in format function
Two arguments:
Numeric value to be formatted
Format specifier
Returns string containing formatted number
Format specifier typically includes precision and data type
Can be used to indicate scientific notation, comma separators,
and the minimum field width used to display the value
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Formatting Numbers (cont’d.)
The % symbol can be used in the format
string of format function to format number
as percentage
To format an integer using format function:
Use d as the type designator
Do not specify precision
Can still use format function to set field width
or comma separator
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Summary
This chapter covered:
The program development cycle, tools for program
design, and the design process
Ways in which programs can receive input,
particularly from the keyboard
Ways in which programs can present and format output
Use of comments in programs
Uses of variables
Tools for performing calculations in programs
