Programming with Python
- “Basic data types in Python include integers, strings, and
floating-point numbers.”
- “Use
variable = value to assign a value to a variable
in order to record it in memory.”
- “Variables are created on demand whenever a value is assigned to
them.”
- “Use
print(something) to display the value of
something.”
- “F-strings can be used to display variables without ending quotes
using the syntax
print(f'some text {variable}')”
- “Built-in functions are always available to use.”
- “Import a library into a program using
import libraryname.”
- “Use the
numpy library to work with arrays in
Python.”
- “The expression
array.shape gives the shape of an
array.”
- “Use
array[x, y] to select a single element from a 2D
array.”
- “Array indices start at 0, not 1.”
- “Use
low:high to specify a slice that
includes the indices from low to high-1.”
- “Use
# some kind of explanation to add comments to
programs.”
- “Use
numpy.mean(array), numpy.max(array),
and numpy.min(array) to calculate simple statistics.”
- “Use
numpy.mean(array, axis=0) or
numpy.mean(array, axis=1) to calculate statistics across
the specified axis.”
- “Use the
pyplot module from the matplotlib
library for creating simple visualizations.”
- “
[value1, value2, value3, ...] creates a list.”
- “Lists can contain any Python object, including lists (i.e., list of
lists).”
- “Lists are indexed and sliced with square brackets (e.g., list[0]
and list[2:9]), in the same way as strings and arrays.”
- “Lists are mutable (i.e., their values can be changed in
place).”
- “Strings are immutable (i.e., the characters in them cannot be
changed).”
- “Use
for variable in sequence to process the elements
of a sequence one at a time.”
- “The body of a
for loop must be indented.”
- “Use
len(thing) to determine the length of something
that contains other values.”
- “Use
glob.glob(pattern) to create a list of files whose
names match a pattern.”
- “Use
* in a pattern to match zero or more characters,
and ? to match any single character.”
- “Use
if condition to start a conditional statement,
elif condition to provide additional tests, and
else to provide a default.”
- “The bodies of the branches of conditional statements must be
indented.”
- “Use
== to test for equality.”
- “
X and Y is only true if both X and
Y are true.”
- “
X or Y is true if either X or
Y, or both, are true.”
- “Zero, the empty string, and the empty list are considered false;
all other numbers, strings, and lists are considered true.”
- “
True and False represent truth
values.”
- “Define a function using
def function_name(parameter).”
- “The body of a function must be indented.”
- “Call a function using
function_name(value).”
- “Numbers are stored as integers or floating-point numbers.”
- “Variables defined within a function can only be seen and used
within the body of the function.”
- “Variables created outside of any function are called global
variables.”
- “Within a function, we can access global variables.”
- “Variables created within a function override global variables if
their names match.”
- “Use
help(thing) to view help for something.”
- “Put docstrings in functions to provide help for that
function.”
- “Specify default values for parameters when defining a function
using
name=value in the parameter list.”
- “Parameters can be passed by matching based on name, by position, or
by omitting them (in which case the default value is used).”
- “Put code whose parameters change frequently in a function, then
call it with different parameter values to customize its behavior.”
