Chapter 1: Introduction to Programming with Python

In the realm of programming, especially with Python, the initial step often involves grasping essential concepts. This guide will explore operators and variables, crucial building blocks for any programming endeavor.

The term "compute" essentially refers to calculating, so it’s no surprise that early computer programs were primarily designed to perform calculations. By utilizing programming, we can delve into fundamental ideas such as operators and variables.

Let’s consider a straightforward mathematical expression, like 2 + 3. If we were to employ a physical calculator, we would simply input 2 + 3 and hit enter. However, to compute this using code, we would adopt a different method by writing a specific line of code (which I suggest you try on your own at this site).

When we click the green run button, we would observe the number 5—our anticipated outcome—displayed in the online “terminal”. The print() function we employed here is an instance of a built-in function in Python. A function can be broadly described as a mechanism that accepts input (in this case, the expression 2 + 5) and produces output (the computed result of our expression).

We'll explore more about the print statement and other built-in functions later in this tutorial series, where we will also create our custom functions. For now, let’s concentrate on the expression we provided, which is 2 + 5.

In this expression, we utilized an operator, +, to signify addition. An operator can be perceived as a symbol that denotes some form of operation on (generally) two values. In Python, we often use a variety of operators, which are outlined below.

Let's conduct a few experiments with these operators. You can type commands directly into the online text editor. I've been using PyCharm, an integrated development environment (IDE) installed on my machine, which allows me to run Python scripts efficiently while providing various features that simplify my development process. We’ll discuss IDEs in more detail later.

Executing this code generates the following list of numbers.

Now, let's analyze the results. The outcomes of addition, subtraction, multiplication, exponentiation, and standard division align with our expectations. However, why does print(4 / 2) yield 2.0 instead of 2? This occurs because, in Python, every division operation results in a floating-point number by default (an approximation of a real number). To obtain an integer result for division, we need to use the integer division operator. Additionally, to find the remainder of a division, we can use the modulo operator.

That concludes our introduction. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for Part 2, where we will delve into variables and functions!

Chapter 2: Understanding Built-in Functions and Operators

The first video, "Python for Beginners – Full Course [Programming Tutorial]," serves as an excellent introduction to the basics of Python programming.

The second video, "Python Programming Tutorial - 51 - Bitwise Operators," provides insights into bitwise operations and their applications in Python.