Python Session Notes

Introduction

• The session covers concepts from Week 1 to Week 4.
• Important to attend the instructor session tomorrow and focus on solving previous term question papers (PYQs).

Week 1 Concepts

Printing Variables

• Use the print() function to display values.
• Pass strings or variable names to print().
• Take user input using the input() function.
• F-strings can be used for string interpolation.

Separator in Print Function

• Default separator is a space.
• Custom separators can be defined using the sep parameter in print().
• The end parameter controls what is printed at the end of the output (default is newline).

Data Types and Operations

• Basic data types: integers, floats, strings.
• Arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, floor division, modulo, power.
• Conversion of strings to other types using int() and float().

Type Conversion and Error Handling

• Handle conversion errors by checking input types.
• Use None to initialize variables that might not have a value initially.

String Operations

• Access string characters using indexing (0-based).
• Negative indexing can be used to access characters from the end.
• String slicing allows you to extract substrings.
• Use len() to find the length of strings.

Week 2 Concepts

Variables

• Understanding variable assignment and scope.
• Variable swapping can be done easily in Python without a temporary variable.

Conditionals

• if, elif, and else statements control the flow of the program.
• Logical operators: and, or, not.
• Conditional expressions can be nested to create more complex conditions.

Looping Constructs

While Loops

• Used for repeated execution as long as a condition is true.
• Care must be taken to avoid infinite loops.

For Loops

• Used to iterate over sequences (lists, strings, etc.).
• Nested loops can be used for multi-dimensional data.

Week 3 Concepts

• Focus on lists and their operations.
• Methods: append(), insert(), remove(), pop(), sort(), reverse(), len().

Week 4 Concepts

Lists, Sets, and Tuples

• Lists: ordered, mutable, allow duplicates.
• Sets: unordered, unique elements, no duplicates.
• Tuples: ordered, immutable collections.

Functions

• Define functions using def. Functions improve code reusability and readability.
• Understand positional and keyword arguments. Default arguments can provide flexibility.
• The scope of variables defined inside functions is local unless returned.

Higher-Order Functions

• Functions can accept other functions as arguments or return them.
• Discussed basic built-in functions like len(), but higher-order functions like map will be discussed later.

Practice and Preparation

• Review previous terms and practice assignments for exam preparation.
• Avoid using built-in function names as variable names to prevent errors.
• Be prepared to apply concepts learned in practical scenarios.

Conclusion

• Emphasize practice and understanding of concepts rather than memorization.
• Next session will focus on solving questions from previous exams.