Getting Started with Python: A Beginner's Exercise

Welcome to your first Python programming exercise! This guide will walk you through the basics of Python, covering fundamental concepts and giving you hands-on experience. By the end of this exercise, you'll have a solid understanding of Python basics and will have written your first Python program.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

1. Python Installed: Download and install Python from the official website python.org. Python 3.x is recommended.
2. Code Editor: Choose a code editor to write your Python code. Options include:
   • Visual Studio Code: Download here
   • PyCharm: Download here
   • Sublime Text: Download here
3. Basic Computer Skills: Familiarity with basic computer operations and navigation.

Steps

1. Set Up Your Environment

1. Install Python:

   • Download Python from python.org.
   • Follow the installation instructions for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux).
   • Ensure the option to add Python to your PATH is checked during installation.

2. Verify Python Installation:

   • Open your command line or terminal.
   • Type python --version and press Enter. You should see the installed version of Python.
   • Optionally, you can use python3 --version if your system differentiates between Python 2 and 3.

2. Write Your First Python Script

1. Open Your Code Editor:

   • Launch the code editor you installed.

2. Create a New File:

   • In your editor, create a new file and name it hello.py.

3. Write Code:

   • In hello.py, type the following code:

     # This is a simple Python program that prints "Hello, World!"
     print("Hello, World!")
     

4. Save Your File:

   • Save the file with the .py extension.

3. Run Your Python Script

1. Open Command Line or Terminal:

   • Navigate to the directory where you saved hello.py using the cd command.

2. Execute Your Script:

   • Type python hello.py and press Enter. If your system uses python3, type python3 hello.py instead.
   • You should see Hello, World! printed to the screen.

4. Explore Basic Python Concepts

1. Variables:

   • Variables are used to store data. For example:

     name = "Alice"
     age = 30
     print(name)
     print(age)
     

2. Data Types:

   • Python supports various data types, including integers, floats, strings, and lists. Try experimenting with these:

     number = 10          # Integer
     pi = 3.14            # Float
     greeting = "Hello!" # String
     numbers_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] # List
     
     print(number, pi, greeting)
     print(numbers_list)
     

3. Functions:

   • Functions are blocks of code that perform a specific task. Define a function and call it:

     def greet(name):
         return f"Hello, {name}!"
     
     print(greet("Bob"))
     

4. Control Flow:

   • Use if statements to control the flow of your program:

     age = 18
     if age >= 18:
         print("You are an adult.")
     else:
         print("You are a minor.")
     

5. Practice and Experiment

• Try modifying the code snippets provided to see how changes affect the output.
• Explore more Python concepts such as loops, error handling, and file operations.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing your first Python exercise! You’ve learned the basics of Python programming and written a simple script. Keep practicing and exploring more features of Python to build your programming skills.

Happy coding!