Python Basics: A

Beginner's Learning Guide

Welcome back! You've already learned how to use the print() statement - great
job! Now let's take the next steps together. Don't worry if things seem new at
first - we'll go step by step.
Part 1: Python as Your Calculator m

Did you know Python can work like a calculator? Let's try it!

1 2

Addition (+) Subtraction (-)

Type this exactly and press Enter:
print(20 - 5)
print(100 - 30)
print(5 + 3)

What do you see? The answers should be 15 and 70.

What happened? You should see 8 appear on your screen!

Let's try more:

print(10 + 7)
print(25 + 15)

Your Turn: Try adding your age to 10. If you're 16, type
print(16 + 10)

3 4

Multiplication (*) Division (/)

In Python, we use * (asterisk) for multiplication:
print(20 / 4)
print(15 / 3)
print(4 * 5)
print(7 * 8)
Notice: Even when the answer is a whole number, Python
shows .0 at the end (like 5.0). This is normal!
Try this: Calculate how many hours are in 3 days: print(24 *
3)

Let's Practice Together!

Try these calculations and check your answers:

print(6 + 4) # Should show 10

print(12 - 7) # Should show 5
print(3 * 9) # Should show 27
print(18 / 6) # Should show 3.0
Part 2: Variables - Your Data Storage Boxes /

Think of variables like labeled boxes where you can store information.

What is a Variable? Creating Your First Variable Variables in Calculations

A variable is like a box with a name
tag. You put something inside and give name = "Alex" x = 10
it a name so you can find it later. print(name) y=5
print(x + y)
What happened? print(x - y)
print(x * y)
You created a box called name

You put "Alex" inside it Cool, right? The variables remember

You printed what's inside the box the numbers you stored!

Variable Naming Rules (Important!)

' Good variable names: o Bad variable names (these will cause errors):

my_name = "Sarah" 2age = 16 # Can't start with a number

age = 16 my-name = "Tom" # Can't use dashes
favorite_color = "blue" class = "Math" # Can't use special Python words
number1 = 25

Memory Tip: Variable names should be like labels on boxes - clear and descriptive!
Part 3: Data Types - Different Kinds of Information 

Just like in real life, we have different types of information. Python recognizes these types automatically!

1 Type 1: Text (String) 2 Type 2: Whole Numbers (Integer)

When you want to store text, wrap it in quotes: For whole numbers, no quotes needed:

student_name = "Emma" student_count = 25

favorite_food = "pizza" test_score = 95
message = "Hello, world!" year = 2024

Important: Always use quotes around text!

3 Type 3: Decimal Numbers (Float) 4 Type 4: True/False (Boolean)

For numbers with decimal points: For yes/no or true/false information:

height = 5.8 is_student = True

price = 12.99 is_raining = False
temperature = 98.6 homework_done = True

Note: True and False must be capitalized exactly like this!

Part 4: Checking Data Types with type() U

Want to know what type of data you have? Use the type() function!

name = "John"
age = 17
height = 5.9
is_tall = True

print(type(name)) # Shows: <class 'str'>

print(type(age)) # Shows: <class 'int'>
print(type(height)) # Shows: <class 'float'>
print(type(is_tall)) # Shows: <class 'bool'>

What do these mean?

str = String (text)

int = Integer (whole number)

float = Float (decimal number)

bool = Boolean (True/False)

Quick Check Exercise

mystery1 = "25"
mystery2 = 25
print(type(mystery1)) # What do you think this will show?
print(type(mystery2)) # What about this one?

Answer: mystery1 is text (str) because it has quotes, mystery2 is a number (int)!
Part 5: Joining Text Together (Concatenation) _

Sometimes you want to combine different pieces of text. This is called "concatenation."

Method 1: Using the + Sign Method 2: F-strings (The Modern Way!)

This is easier and more popular:
first_name = "Taylor"
last_name = "Smith"
name = "Chris"
full_name = first_name + " " + last_name
age = 16
print(full_name) # Shows: Taylor Smith
message = f"My name is {name} and I am {age} years
old"
Notice: We added " " to put a space between the names! print(message) # Shows: My name is Chris and I am

More Examples 16 years old

greeting = "Hello" How f-strings work:

name = "Anna" 1. Put f before the quotes
message = greeting + ", " + name + "!"
2. Put variables inside curly brackets {}
print(message) # Shows: Hello, Anna!
3. Python automatically fills in the values!

Common Mistake to Avoid

name = "Sam"
age = 15

# This will cause an ERROR:

# message = "I am " + name + " and I am " + age + " years old"
# Why? You can't add text and numbers directly!

# CORRECT ways:
message1 = "I am " + name + " and I am " + str(age) + " years old" # Convert number to text
message2 = f"I am {name} and I am {age} years old" # Use f-string (easier!)

print(message1)
print(message2)
Let's Put It All Together! 

Here's a complete example using everything we learned:

# Variables with different types

student_name = "Maya"
math_grade = 92
science_grade = 88.5
passed = True

# Calculations
average_grade = (math_grade + science_grade) / 2

# Display information using f-strings

print(f"Student: {student_name}")
print(f"Math grade: {math_grade}")
print(f"Science grade: {science_grade}")
print(f"Average grade: {average_grade}")
print(f"Passed: {passed}")

# Check the data types

print(f"Name type: {type(student_name)}")
print(f"Math grade type: {type(math_grade)}")
print(f"Science grade type: {type(science_grade)}")
print(f"Passed type: {type(passed)}")
Practice Exercises í

Try these step by step:

Exercise 1: About You Exercise 2: Simple Exercise 3: Data Type

Calculator Detective
# Fill in your information
your_name = "Your Name Here" # Create two numbers # What types are these?
your_age = 0 # Put your real age num1 = 15 item1 = "Hello"
your_height = 0.0 # Put your num2 = 4 item2 = 42
height item3 = 3.14
# Do all calculations item4 = True
print(f"Hi! I'm {your_name}") addition = num1 + num2 item5 = "123"
print(f"I am {your_age} years subtraction = num1 - num2
old") multiplication = num1 * num2 # Check each type
print(f"I am {your_height} feet division = num1 / num2 print(f"'{item1}' is type:
tall") {type(item1)}")
# Print results print(f"'{item2}' is type:
print(f"{num1} + {num2} = {type(item2)}")
{addition}") print(f"'{item3}' is type:
print(f"{num1} - {num2} = {type(item3)}")
{subtraction}") print(f"'{item4}' is type:
print(f"{num1} * {num2} = {type(item4)}")
{multiplication}") print(f"'{item5}' is type:
print(f"{num1} / {num2} = {type(item5)}")
{division}")
Quick Reference Card &

Arithmetic Operators Data Types

+ Addition String (str): Text in quotes "hello"

- Subtraction Integer (int): Whole numbers 42

* Multiplication Float (float): Decimal numbers 3.14

/ Division Boolean (bool): True or False

Essential Functions Variable Rules

print() - Display information 1. Start with letter or underscore

type() - Check data type 2. Can contain letters, numbers, underscores

str() - Convert to text 3. No spaces or special characters

4. Case sensitive
What's Next?
Congratulations! You now know: ' How to do calculations in Python ' How
to store information in variables ' The different types of data ' How to
check data types ' How to combine text together

Keep practicing these concepts - they're the foundation for everything else in
Python. In our next lesson, we'll learn about getting input from users and
making decisions with if statements!

Remember: Programming is like learning to ride a bike. It takes practice, but

once you get it, you'll never forget!