1. Introduction to Python

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Introduction to Python

Python is a high-level, interpreted, scripting, imperative, object-oriented, functional, dynamically typed, strong programming language. It was launched by Guido van Rossum in 1991. Currently, it is one of the most popular programming languages, used in many areas such as web development, data science, machine learning, automation, among others.

Why Python?

Python is a very powerful and flexible programming language, accessible to novices and loved by experts. It is known for its clear and readable syntax, which makes it an excellent language for beginners. Python's philosophy is "there is one and only one obvious way to do something", which means that it is a language that values ​​simplicity and clarity.

Python is a very versatile language. It is used in a variety of domains, from web and app development to data science, machine learning, automation, and more. Companies like Google, NASA, and CERN use Python for a variety of tasks.

Python Basics

Python is an interpreted language, which means that the code is executed line by line, making it easier to debug. It's also dynamically typed, which means you don't have to declare a variable's type when you create it.

Python supports several programming paradigms, including procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming. Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is a paradigm that allows you to organize code around 'objects' that contain both data (attributes) and functionality (methods). Functional programming is a paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids changing state and mutable data.

Variables

In Python, variables are created when you assign a value to them. For example, x = 5 creates a variable called x and assigns the value 5 to it. Python is dynamically typed, which means you can change the type of a variable throughout the program.

Data Types

Python supports many data types, including integers, floating point numbers, strings, lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets. Each data type has its own characteristics and methods.

Operators

Python supports a variety of operators, including arithmetic operators (like +, -, *, /), comparison operators (like ==, !=, <, >), logical operators (like and, or, not) , and assignment operators (such as =, +=, -=).

Flow control

Python supports several control-flow statements, including if, elif, else for conditional decisions, and for, while for loops. In addition, Python supports the break statement to exit a loop and the continue statement to jump to the next iteration of a loop.

Conclusion

Python is a powerful, versatile and beginner-friendly programming language. With its clear, readable syntax, support for multiple programming paradigms, and wide range of applications, Python is an excellent choice for anyone interested in programming.

This was just a glimpse of what Python can do. In the Complete System Building with Python and Django course, you'll learn more about Python as well as Django, a high-level web development framework based on Python. Together, they form a powerful combination for building robust and efficient systems.

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