Learn to Program with Python

© Irv Kalb 2016

Irv Kalb, Learn to Program with Python, 10.1007/978-1-4842-2172-3_2

2. Variables and Assignment Statements

Irv Kalb¹ 

(1)Mountain View, California, USA

This chapter covers the following topics:

• A sample Python program

• Building blocks of programming

• Four types of data

• What a variable is

• Rules for naming variables

• Giving a variable a value with an assignment statement

• A good way to name variables

• Special Python keywords

• Case sensitivity

• More complicated assignment statements

• Print statements

• Basic math operators

• Order of operations and parentheses

• A few small sample programs

• Additional naming conventions

• How to add comments in a program

• Use of “whitespace”

• Errors in programs

A Sample Python Program

Let’s jump right in and see an example of what Python ...