Introduction to Python
Basics, Features, Syntax, and Data
Types
By Janani
Features of Python
• • Easy to learn and read.
• • Interpreted language – no need to compile.
• • Dynamically typed – no need to declare
variable types.
• • Object-oriented and functional.
• • Vast standard library.
• • Cross-platform compatibility.
• • Open-source and community-driven.
How to Run Python
• • Use Python IDEs like IDLE, PyCharm, VS
Code.
• • Run in terminal using: python filename.py
• • Use interactive mode by typing `python` in
command line.
• • Use Jupyter notebooks for notebooks-style
code execution.
Identifiers
• • Names given to variables, functions, classes,
etc.
• • Must start with a letter (A-Z, a-z) or
underscore (_).
• • Cannot start with a digit.
• • Example: my_var, _value, totalAmount.
Reserved Keywords
• • Reserved words that cannot be used as
identifiers.
• • Examples: if, else, for, while, import, def,
return, class.
• • Python has 33+ keywords.
• • Use `help("keywords")` to see them.
Variables
• • Used to store data.
• • No need to declare type – Python assigns
automatically.
• • Example:
• x = 10
• name = "Janani"
• price = 99.99
Comments in Python
• • Used to explain code.
• • Single-line: start with `#`
• • Multi-line: use triple quotes `'''` or `"""`
• Example:
• # This is a comment
• """This is a
• multi-line comment"""
Indentation in Python
• • Indentation is mandatory in Python.
• • Used to define blocks of code.
• • Standard: 4 spaces.
• Example:
• if x > 0:
• print("Positive")
Multi-Line Statements
• • Use backslash `\` to break long lines.
• • Or use parentheses `()`, brackets `[]`, or
braces `{}`.
• Example:
• total = (1 + 2 + 3 +
• 4 + 5 + 6)
Multiple Statement Group (Suite)
• • Group of statements controlled by a clause
(if, while, def).
• • Indented block after a colon `:` is the suite.
• Example:
• def greet():
• print("Hello")
• print("Welcome")
Quotes in Python
• • Python supports single (' '), double (" "), and
triple quotes (''' ''' or """ """).
• • Triple quotes allow multi-line strings.
• Examples:
• 'Hello'
• "World"
• '''Multi-line'''
Input, Output and Import
Functions
• • `input()` – get user input (as string)
• • `print()` – display output
• • `import` – include external modules
• Example:
• name = input("Enter name: ")
• print("Hello", name)
• import math
Operators in Python
• • Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %, **, //
• • Comparison: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=
• • Logical: and, or, not
• • Assignment: =, +=, -=, etc.
• • Bitwise and identity operators also available.
Data Types – Numbers
• • int – whole numbers (10, -5)
• • float – decimal numbers (3.14, -0.5)
• • complex – complex numbers (2 + 3j)
• Use type() to check data type.
Data Types – Strings
• • Sequence of characters inside quotes.
• • Immutable.
• • Support slicing, concatenation, repetition.
• Example:
• s = "Hello"
• print(s[0]) # H
Data Types – List
• • Ordered, mutable, allows duplicate
elements.
• • Defined with square brackets [].
• Example:
• fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
Data Types – Tuple
• • Ordered, immutable, allows duplicate
elements.
• • Defined with parentheses ().
• Example:
• tuple1 = (1, 2, 3)
Data Types – Set
• • Unordered, mutable, no duplicates.
• • Defined with curly braces {}.
• Example:
• set1 = {1, 2, 3, 2} # {1, 2, 3}
Data Types – Dictionary
• • Key-value pairs.
• • Unordered (Python 3.6+ maintains insertion
order).
• Example:
• d = {"name": "Janani", "age": 20}
Data Type Conversion
• • Use functions like int(), float(), str(), list(),
tuple(), set(), dict().
• Examples:
• int("5") → 5
• str(5) → "5"
• list("abc") → ['a', 'b', 'c']
