UNIT 1: Comprehensive Guide to Python: Basics, Control Structures,

and String Handling

SUB-TOPIC 1.1
1. What is Python?

Definition:

Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming language known for its easy
readability and simple syntax, which makes it ideal for beginners as well as professionals.

Key Points:

● Created by Guido van Rossum in 1991.

● Interpreted language (no need to compile).

● Supports multiple programming paradigms: procedural, object-oriented, and functional.

● Used in web development, data analysis, AI, machine learning, automation, and more.

2. Features of Python

Feature Description

Easy to Learn Simple syntax similar to English.

Interpreted Code executed line by line, no need for compilation.

Dynamically Typed No need to declare variable types explicitly.

Portable Runs on different operating systems without modification.

Extensive Libraries Large standard library and third-party modules available.

Open Source Free to use and distribute.

Object-Oriented Supports classes and objects, reusable code.

High-level Language Abstracts away low-level details like memory management.

3. Installation of Python

Step-by-step Installation:

1. Go to the official website: python.org

2. Download the latest version compatible with your OS (Windows, Mac, Linux).

3. Run the installer:

o On Windows, check "Add Python to PATH" during installation.

4. Verify installation:

o Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux).

o Type python --version or python3 --version.

o If version info appears, Python is installed correctly.

4. Running Python Programs

Modes of Running Python Code:

Mode Description

Interactive Run Python commands one by one in Python shell or REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop).
Mode Ideal for testing small code snippets.

Script Mode Write code in a .py file and run the entire program. Best for longer programs.

Example:

● Interactive Mode:

>>> print("Hello, World!")

Hello, World!

>>> 2 + 3

● Script Mode:

Create a file named hello.py:

print("Hello, World!")

Run it from the terminal:

python hello.py

5. Variables in Python

Definition:

Variables are containers that hold data values.

Key Points:

● Variables do not need explicit declaration of data type.

● Variable names can contain letters, digits, and underscores but cannot start with a digit.

● Python is case sensitive (age and Age are different).

Example:

name = "Alice"

age = 21

pi = 3.14

6. Keywords in Python

Keywords are reserved words that have special meaning and cannot be used as variable names.

Some Python Keywords:

Keyword Purpose Keyword Purpose

if Conditional statement def Define function

else Alternative branch while Loop

for Loop return Return value

True Boolean True False Boolean False

 Keyword Purpose Keyword Purpose

None Represents null value class Define class

7. Data Types in Python

Data Type Description Example

int Integer numbers x=5

float Decimal numbers pi = 3.1416

str Sequence of characters (text) name = "Bob"

bool Boolean values (True or False) is_valid = True

list Ordered, mutable collection numbers = [1, 2, 3]

tuple Ordered, immutable collection coords = (4, 5)

dict Key-value pairs person = {"age": 25}

8. Type Conversion

Definition:

Converting data from one type to another.

Common Conversions:

Function Converts To Example

int() Integer int("10") → 10

float() Floating-point number float(5) → 5.0

str() String str(10) → "10"

 Function Converts To Example

bool() Boolean bool(0) → False

9. Operators in Python

Operator
Operators Example Description
Type

+, -, *, /, Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,

Arithmetic 5+3=8
%, //, ** modulus, floor division, exponentiation

Compariso ==, !=, >, <,

5 > 3 → True Compare values
n >=, <=

True and False

Logical and, or, not Logical operations
→ False

Assignmen x += 1 (same as
=, +=, -=, etc. Assign or update variables
t x = x + 1)

Bitwise &, ` , ^, ~, <<, >>` Operate on bits

10. Comments in Python

Definition:

Comments are lines ignored by the interpreter, used to explain code.

● Single-line comment: starts with #

# This is a comment

print("Hello") # Inline comment

● Multi-line comment: triple quotes (''' ''' or """ """)

"""

This is a

multi-line comment

"""
11. Input and Output Functions

Input Function: input()

● Takes input from the user as a string.

Example:

name = input("Enter your name: ")

print("Hello, " + name)

Output Function: print()

● Displays output on the screen.

● Can print multiple items separated by commas.

Example:

print("Sum of 2 and 3 is", 2 + 3)

12. Practical Code Example (All Concepts Combined)

# Program: Greet User and Calculate Age Next Year

# Input name

name = input("Enter your name: ")

# Input age (string by default), convert to integer

age = int(input("Enter your age: "))

# Calculate age next year

next_age = age + 1

# Output message
print("Hello,", name + "!")

print("Next year, you will be", next_age, "years old.")

SUB-TOPIC 1.2
1. Control Structures: Definition

Control structures are blocks of programming that determine the flow of control in a program —
deciding which statements execute, how many times, and under what conditions.

2. Conditional Statements: if, else, elif

Definition:

● Used to execute different code based on conditions.

Syntax and Explanation:

if condition:

# block executed if condition is True

elif another_condition:

# executed if first condition is False but this one is True

else:

# executed if none of the above conditions are True

Example:

age = int(input("Enter your age: "))

if age >= 18:

print("You are eligible to vote.")

elif age >= 13:

print("You are a teenager.")

else:

print("You are a child.")

3. Loops in Python

Loops help repeat a block of code multiple times.

4. for Loops

Simple for Loop:

● Used to iterate over a sequence (list, string, range).

for i in [1, 2, 3, 4]:

print(i)

For Loop Using range()

● range(start, stop, step) generates numbers within a range.

Example:

for i in range(1, 6): # prints 1 to 5

print(i)

5. while Loops

● Repeats as long as the condition is True.

count = 1

while count <= 5:

print(count)

count += 1

6. Loop Manipulation: continue, break, and else

 Keywo
Purpose Example Use
rd

break Exits the loop immediately Stop loop on certain condition

contin
Skips current iteration and moves to next Skip processing for a specific value
ue

Executes after loop finishes normally (no Run code after loop completes
else
break) normally

7. Examples of Loop Control Statements

for i in range(1, 6):

if i == 3:

continue # skip 3

print(i)

# Output: 1 2 4 5

count = 1

while count <= 5:

if count == 4:

break # exit loop when count is 4

print(count)

count += 1

# Output: 1 2 3

for i in range(3):

print(i)

else:

print("Loop ended normally.")

Summary Table: Control Structures

Control Structure Usage Syntax Example

if Execute if condition is True if x > 0:

elif Additional conditions elif x == 0:

else Default if no conditions match else:

for Iterate over a sequence for i in range(5):

while Repeat while condition True while count < 5:

break Exit loop immediately if i == 3: break

continue Skip current iteration if i == 3: continue

else with loop Run after loop completes normally for ... else:

SUB-TOPIC 1.3
1. What is a String?

A string is a sequence of characters enclosed within quotes (single '...', double "...", or triple '''...''').

2. Characteristics of Strings

Characteristi
Description
c

Immutable Strings cannot be changed after creation

Indexed Each character has a position, starting at 0 (left to right)

Iterable You can loop through each character in a string

3. Accessing String Elements

Indexing:

● Access single characters using their index.

name = "Python"

print(name[0]) # Output: P

print(name[-1]) # Output: n (last character)

Slicing:

● Extract substrings using [start:end:step].

text = "Hello World"

print(text[0:5]) # Output: Hello

print(text[6:]) # Output: World

print(text[::-1]) # Output: dlroW olleH (reversed)

4. Looping Through Strings

for ch in "Python":

print(ch)

5. Searching in Strings

Metho
Description Returns Example
d

Index or -
find() Finds first occurrence, -1 if not found "hello".find('e') → 1
1

index() Finds first occurrence, error if not found Index "hello".index('l') → 2

count() Counts occurrences Integer "hello".count('l') → 2

6. String Methods

Method Description Example Output

upper() Converts to uppercase "hello".upper() "HELLO"

lower() Converts to lowercase "HELLO".lower() "hello"

 Method Description Example Output

title() Capitalizes first letter of each word "hello world".title() "Hello World"

swapcase() Swaps case of each letter "Hello".swapcase() "hELLO"

capitalize() Capitalizes first letter of string "hello".capitalize() "Hello"

replace() Replaces substring "hello".replace('l', 'p') "heppo"

split() Splits string into list by separator "a,b,c".split(',') ['a', 'b', 'c']

join() Joins list elements into a string ','.join(['a','b','c']) "a,b,c"

startswith() Checks if string starts with substring "hello".startswith('he') True

endswith() Checks if string ends with substring "hello".endswith('lo') True

isalpha() Checks if all characters are alphabets "hello".isalpha() True

isdigit() Checks if all characters are digits "123".isdigit() True

7. String Comparison

Strings can be compared lexicographically (alphabetical order).

print("apple" == "Apple") # False (case-sensitive)

print("apple" > "Apple") # True (lowercase > uppercase in ASCII)

8. String Operations

Operation Example Output Description

"Hello " + "Hello

Concatenation (+) Join two strings
"World" World"

Repetition (*) "Hi" * 3 "HiHiHi" Repeat string multiple times

Membership
'a' in "apple" True Check if substring exists
Testing

'z' not in "apple" True Check if substring does NOT exist

9. Practical Examples:
# Accessing and slicing

text = "Programming"

print(text[0]) #P

print(text[3:6]) # gra

print(text[::-1]) # gnimmargorP

# String methods

name = "john doe"

print(name.title()) # John Doe

print(name.upper()) # JOHN DOE

print(name.replace("john", "Jane")) # Jane doe

# Searching

sentence = "Hello world, welcome to Python"

print(sentence.find("welcome")) # 12

print(sentence.count("o")) #4

# Concatenation and repetition

print("Hi " + "there") # Hi there

print("Bye! " * 3) # Bye! Bye! Bye!

# Membership

print("P" in text) # True

print("z" not in text) # True

UNIT 2: Python Data Structures, Functions, and Modules

SUB-TOPIC 2.1
1. Lists
What is a List?

A List in Python is an ordered, mutable (can be changed), and heterogeneous (can

contain different data types) collection of items.

List Characteristics:

● Ordered: Items have a defined order and can be accessed by index.

● Mutable: You can modify, add or remove items.

● Allows duplicates: Same value can appear multiple times.

● Heterogeneous: Items can be of any data type (integers, strings, other lists, etc.).

● Dynamic size: Lists can grow or shrink as needed.

Creating a List:

# Empty list

my_list = []

# List of integers

numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40]

# Mixed data types

mixed = [1, "hello", 3.14, True]

# Nested list

nested = [1, 2, [3, 4, 5], 6]

Accessing and Updating Elements in List
Indexing:

● Starts from 0.

● Negative indexing starts from -1 (last element).

lst = [10, 20, 30, 40]

print(lst[0]) # 10 (first element)

print(lst[-1]) # 40 (last element)

Slicing:

● Extract parts of list: lst[start:end] (end not included).

print(lst[1:3]) # [20, 30]

print(lst[:2]) # [10, 20]

print(lst[2:]) # [30, 40]

Nested List Access:

nested = [1, 2, [3, 4, 5], 6]

print(nested[2]) # [3, 4, 5]

print(nested[2][1]) # 4

Traversing a List
Loop through each element:

for item in lst:

print(item)

Deleting Elements from a List

Method Description Example

del Delete element by index or entire list del lst[1]

remove Remove first occurrence of a value lst.remove(20)

()

pop() Remove and return element by index (default lst.pop() or lst.pop(1)

last)

lst = [10, 20, 30, 40]

del lst[1] # lst = [10, 30, 40]

lst.remove(30) # lst = [10, 40]

popped = lst.pop() # popped=40, lst=[10]

List Operations
Operatio Description Example
n
+ Concatenate lists [1, 2] + [3, 4] → [1, 2, 3, 4]

* Repeat list [1, 2] * 3 → [1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2]

elements

in Check 3 in [1, 2, 3] → True

membership

len() Length of list len([1,2,3]) → 3

Built-in List Functions

Function Description Example

len() Returns number of len([1,2,3]) → 3

elements

max() Returns max element max([1,5,3]) → 5

min() Returns min element min([1,5,3]) → 1

sum() Sum of numeric elements sum([1,2,3]) → 6

clear() Empties the list lst.clear()

List Methods
Method Description Example

append(x) Adds element x to the end lst.append(5)

extend(iterable) Extends list by appending elements from lst.extend([6,7])

iterable
insert(i, x) Insert x at index i lst.insert(2, 10)

remove(x) Removes first occurrence of x lst.remove(10)

pop([i]) Removes and returns element at index i (last lst.pop() or lst.pop(1)

if no index)

index(x) Returns index of first occurrence of x lst.index(5)

count(x) Returns number of occurrences of x lst.count(5)

sort() Sorts the list in ascending order lst.sort()

reverse() Reverses the list in-place lst.reverse()

2. Tuples
What is a Tuple?

A Tuple is an ordered, immutable (cannot be changed), and heterogeneous collection

of items.

Tuple Characteristics:

● Ordered: Items are indexed.

● Immutable: Elements cannot be modified after creation.

● Allows duplicates.

● Heterogeneous: Can contain multiple data types.

● Usually used when fixed data is needed.

Creating a Tuple:
empty_tuple = ()

single_element = (5,) # Note the trailing comma for a single element

tuple1 = (1, 2, 3)

mixed = (1, "apple", 3.14)

nested_tuple = (1, 2, (3, 4))

Accessing Values in Tuples

● Indexing and Slicing similar to lists.

t = (10, 20, 30, 40)

print(t[0]) # 10

print(t[-1]) # 40

print(t[1:3]) # (20, 30)

● Access nested tuple:

nested = (1, 2, (3, 4))

print(nested[2][1]) # 4

Tuple Assignment

a, b, c = (1, 2, 3) # Unpacking
print(a) # 1

print(b) # 2

print(c) # 3

Tuples as Return Values

Functions can return multiple values packed into a tuple:

def get_min_max(numbers):

return min(numbers), max(numbers)

minimum, maximum = get_min_max([1, 2, 3, 4])

print(minimum, maximum) # 1 4

Packing and Unpacking

● Packing: Group values into a tuple.

packed = 1, 2, 3

● Unpacking: Assign tuple elements to variables.

x, y, z = packed
Variable-length Argument Tuple

Using *args to accept variable number of arguments in functions:

def sum_all(*args):

total = 0

for num in args:

total += num

return total

print(sum_all(1, 2, 3)) # 6

print(sum_all(4, 5)) #9

Tuple Operations
Operatio Description Example
n

+ Concatenate (1, 2) + (3, 4) → (1, 2, 3, 4)

tuples

* Repeat tuples (1, 2) * 3 → (1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2)

in Membership test 3 in (1, 2, 3) → True

Iteration on Tuples
t = (10, 20, 30)

for item in t:
 print(item)

Built-in Tuple Functions

Function Description Example

len() Number of elements len((1,2,3)) → 3

max() Max element max((1,5,3)) → 5

min() Min element min((1,5,3)) → 1

sum() Sum of numeric elements sum((1,2,3)) → 6

count(x) Counts occurrences of x (1,2,2,3).count(2) → 2

sorted() Returns sorted list (tuple remains sorted((3,1,2)) → [1, 2, 3]

immutable)

Differences between List and Tuple

Feature List Tuple

Mutability Mutable (can be changed) Immutable (cannot be

changed)

Syntax Square brackets [ ] Parentheses ( )

Performance Slightly slower Faster due to immutability

Use case Collections that change Fixed collections

 Methods Many methods (append, Few methods
remove)

Memory Uses more memory Uses less memory

efficiency

Practical Examples
Example 1: Creating and modifying a list
fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

print(fruits[1]) # banana

fruits.append('orange')

fruits.remove('banana')

print(fruits) # ['apple', 'cherry', 'orange']

Example 2: Tuple unpacking

coordinates = (10, 20)

x, y = coordinates

print(f"x = {x}, y = {y}") # x = 10, y = 20

Example 3: Using list methods and functions

numbers = [5, 3, 8, 6]

numbers.sort()

print(numbers) # [3, 5, 6, 8]
print(sum(numbers)) # 22