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Of course! Here are some class notes for the first day of learning Python.
Day 1: Introduction to Python
Welcome to your first day of Python programming! Today, we'll cover the absolute basics to get
you started. Remember your goal of scoring well in your exams; mastering these fundamentals
is the first step!
What is Python?
Python is a high-level, interpreted, and general-purpose programming language.
● High-Level: It's written in a way that is easy for humans to read and write.
● Interpreted: It runs code line by line, which makes it easier to debug (find and fix errors).
● General-Purpose: You can use it for almost anything—web development, data science,
automation, AI, and more!
Your First Python Program: "Hello, World!"
The first program anyone writes in a new language is one that prints "Hello, World!". In Python,
it's just one line.
print("Hello, World!")
● print() is a built-in function that displays output to the screen.
● The text inside the quotation marks " " is called a string.
Variables and Basic Data Types
A variable is like a container used to store data. You can give it a name and assign a value to it
using the equals sign =.
Python has several data types, but let's start with the three most common ones:
1. String (str): Textual data. It's always enclosed in single ' ' or double " " quotes.
name = "Alice"
greeting = 'Welcome to Python!'
2. Integer (int): Whole numbers, without any decimal points.
age = 25
quantity = 100
3. Float (float): Numbers with a decimal point.
price = 19.99
pi = 3.14
You can print variables to see their values:
student_name = "Ravi"
score = 95
print(student_name) # Output: Ravi
print(score) # Output: 95
Taking Input from the User
You can make your programs interactive by asking the user for input using the input() function.
The input() function always returns the data as a string.
# Ask for the user's name and store it in a variable
user_name = input("What is your name? ")
# Print a greeting using the user's name
print("Hello, " + user_name + "!")
Note: If you need a number from the user for calculations, you must convert the string input into
an integer (int()) or a float (float()).
age_str = input("Enter your age: ")
age_int = int(age_str) # Convert the string to an integer
next_year_age = age_int + 1
print("Next year, you will be", next_year_age, "years old.")
Comments
Comments are notes in your code that are ignored by Python. They are used to explain what
the code does, which is very helpful for yourself and others.
Use the hash symbol # to start a comment.
# This is a comment. It won't be executed.
# Assigning a value to the variable 'x'
x = 10 # This is an inline comment explaining this specific line.
Basic Arithmetic Operations
You can perform mathematical calculations just like on a calculator.
● Addition: +
● Subtraction: -
● Multiplication: *
● Division: /
Example:
a = 10
b = 5
sum_result = a + b # 15
diff_result = a - b # 5
product_result = a * b # 50
div_result = a / b # 2.0 (Division always results in a float)
print("Sum:", sum_result)
print("Product:", product_result)
Practice Problems for Day 1
1. Write a program that prints your name and your city.
2. Create a program that asks the user for two numbers, adds them together, and prints the
result. (Hint: Remember to convert the input to numbers!)
3. Write a program that calculates the area of a rectangle. Ask the user for the length and
width. (Area = length * width).
