Python Basics

Python Basics#

Python Syntax
Variables and data types
Storing lots of data in memory: Lists and Tuples
Whitespace
Functions
Comments in code

What does python syntax look like?#

salary = 100000
tax_rate = 0.2
salary_after_tax = salary * (1-tax_rate)
print(salary_after_tax) 

80000.0

What parts of Python did we use in that code?#

print('Hello world')   

Hello world

Variables and data types in python#

Variables hold data.
For example, this might be a number (e.g. an integer) or a text string.
Your computer program uses the data in its operations.

Let’s create a really simple variable call simple_sum as the sum of two integers.

simple_sum = 1 + 1
print(simple_sum) 

You can conduct mathematical operations on variables

Operator	Name	Description
`a + b`	Addition	Sum of `a` and `b`
`a - b`	Subtraction	Difference of `a` and `b`
`a * b`	Multiplication	Product of `a` and `b`
`a / b`	True division	Quotient of `a` and `b`
`a // b`	Floor division	Quotient of `a` and `b`, removing fractional parts
`a % b`	Modulus	Integer remainder after division of `a` by `b`
`a ** b`	Exponentiation	`a` raised to the power of `b`
`-a`	Negation	The negative of `a`

Example:

the variable z is product of variable x raised to the power of y

x = 10
y = 2
z = x ** y
print(z)

Example:

the variable foo is the negation of variable bar

bar = 10
foo = -bar
print(foo)

-10

Variables Names#

Variables names can only contain letters, numbers, and underscores ( _ ).
Underscores are used instead of spaces.
For example, use student_name instead of student name.
If you include a space then you will get an SyntaxError!

lecturer name = 'tom'

  File "<ipython-input-6-bb25698b12f8>", line 1
    lecturer name = 'tom'
             ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

Each variable has a data type.
Python is dynamically typed.
This means that Python does all of the work for you!

foo = 1000
bar = 'hello everyone'
print(type(foo))
print(type(bar))

<class 'int'>
<class 'str'>

foo = True
bar = False
spam = 3.142
eggs = 10000000

print(type(foo))
print(type(bar))
print(type(spam))
print(type(eggs))

<class 'bool'>
<class 'bool'>
<class 'float'>
<class 'int'>

Introduction to Lists and Tuples#

A Python List is a simple and flexible way to store variables and any type of data

foo = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(foo) 

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The elements stored within a List have a numbered index
Indexes start from zero (don’t forget)

foo = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(foo[0])
print(foo[1])

foo[4] = 999
print(foo)

1
2
[1, 2, 3, 4, 999]

A List is very flexible and can hold different types of variable

bar = ['spam', 5, 82.96, True]
bar[1] = 'eggs'
print(bar) 

['spam', 'eggs', 82.96, True]

A List has a length

length_of_list = len(bar)
print(length_of_list)  

Inserting and removing items#

New list items:

can be appended to the end of a list a List
or inserted at a specified index

Existing list items:

Can be removed from a specified index
or by value

foo = []
foo.append('spam')
foo.append('eggs')
print(foo)

#foo.insert(1, 'bar')
#print(foo)

#del foo[2] # Remove a specific index 
#print(foo)

#foo.remove('spam') #Remove a specific value
#print(foo)

['spam', 'eggs']

A Tuple is similar to a List with one key difference
A List is mutable where as a Tuple is immutable

foo = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
bar = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

print(foo)
print(bar)

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

foo[1] = 999 #list
bar[1] = 999 #tuple

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeError                                 Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-15-0887368b13a8> in <module>
      1 foo[1] = 999 #list
----> 2 bar[1] = 999 #tuple

TypeError: 'tuple' object does not support item assignment

Functions#

We have already encountered a function: print()
print() is one of Python’s built in functions
Python has lots of them!
If you are not sure how they work you can use the help() function!

help(print)

Help on built-in function print in module builtins:

print(...)
    print(value, ..., sep=' ', end='\n', file=sys.stdout, flush=False)
    
    Prints the values to a stream, or to sys.stdout by default.
    Optional keyword arguments:
    file:  a file-like object (stream); defaults to the current sys.stdout.
    sep:   string inserted between values, default a space.
    end:   string appended after the last value, default a newline.
    flush: whether to forcibly flush the stream.

Importing functions from Python modules#

Functions are stored within modules
Use the import statement to access the modules you need
Let’s generate a random integer between 1 and 100.
We need to a function from the random module

import random as rnd

u = rnd.randint(1, 100)
print(f'I generated a random integer {u}')

I generated a random integer 31

We can also import specific functions from modules

from random import randint, gauss

u1 = randint(1, 100)
u2 = gauss(0, 1)
print(f'I sampled from a random int {u1} and a normally distributed value {u2}')

I sampled from a random int 80 and a normally distributed value 0.25118187063605696

Custom Functions#

You can also code your own bespoke functions
A function is a reusable block of code that has a single responsibility
That means you function should do one thing only

Motivation#

You have been asked to convert a dataset of degrees celsius figures to fahrenheit

deg_celsius = 20
fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
print(fahrenheit)

deg_celsius = 10
fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
print(fahrenheit) 

68.0
50.0

A reusable function would come in very handy here!

def convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(deg_celsius):
    deg_fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
    print(f'{deg_celsius} degrees celsius is equivalent to {deg_fahrenheit} degrees fahrenheit')

convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(20)
convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(10) 

20 degrees celsius is equivalent to 68.0 degrees fahrenheit
10 degrees celsius is equivalent to 50.0 degrees fahrenheit

An alterantive way to write the same function
Instead of using print() we can return the result
And store the result in a new variable result_fahrenheit

def convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(deg_celsius):
    deg_fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
    return deg_fahrenheit

result_fahrenheit = convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(22)
print(result_fahrenheit)

71.6

Watch out for whitespace rules!
if you use : then you must indent (use tab or 4 spaces) on the next line

def convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(deg_celsius):
deg_fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
return deg_fahrenheit 

  File "<ipython-input-24-33c89eb1548a>", line 2
    deg_fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
    ^
IndentationError: expected an indented block

If a func returns a value you can pass it to another func

def add(num1, num2):
    return num1 + num2

def square(num):
    return num ** 2  

result = square(add(1, 1))
print(result)  

Comments in code#

def convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(deg_celsius):
    '''
    Converts d egrees celcius to degrees fahrenheit
    Returns a float representing the temperature in degrees fahrenheit.
    
    Parameters:
    -----------
    deg_celsius: float
        a float temperature in degress celsius e.g. 18.5
    '''
    deg_fahrenheit = 9.0/5.0 * deg_celsius + 32
    return deg_fahrenheit

help(convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit)

Help on function convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit in module __main__:

convert_celsius_to_fahrenheit(deg_celsius)
    Converts d egrees celcius to degrees fahrenheit
    Returns a float representing the temperature in degrees fahrenheit.
    
    Parameters:
    -----------
    deg_celsius: float
        a float temperature in degress celsius e.g. 18.5

Using # is another way to add comments to code
Useful to clarify “complex” code and aid your memory.
Won’t be picked up by help()

from math import pi

def area_of_circle(radius):
    #  pi x squared(radius)
    area = pi * radius ** 2 
    return area 

help(area_of_circle)

Help on function area_of_circle in module __main__:

area_of_circle(radius)

In Python Functions can return multiple values#

def list_info(data):
    '''
    Returns Sum, Length and Mean of list @data 
    
    Parameters:
    ----------
    data: list
        a list containing numeric data
    '''
    list_sum = sum(data)
    list_length = len(data)
    list_mean = list_sum / list_length
    
    return list_sum, list_length, list_mean

data = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

results = list_info(data)
print(f"The variable 'results': {results} has type {type(results)}")

data_sum, data_length, data_mean = list_info(data)
print(f'Seperate variables: sum {data_sum}, length {data_length}, mean {data_mean}')

The variable 'results': (15, 5, 3.0) has type <class 'tuple'>
Seperate variables: sum 15, length 5, mean 3.0

Python Basics

Contents

Python Basics#

What does python syntax look like?#

What parts of Python did we use in that code?#

Variables and data types in python#

Variables Names#

Introduction to Lists and Tuples#

Inserting and removing items#

Functions#

Importing functions from Python modules#

Custom Functions#

Motivation#

Comments in code#

In Python Functions can return multiple values#

End#