Python Fundamentals

Start with the main parts of a computer, including the processor, memory and disk, and the instructions computers execute. See how Python compares with other languages and how statements, comments and scripts are organised. You'll also cover installing Python and Visual Studio Code, naming variables, distinguishing names from literal values and recognising keywords. The session introduces basic data types, transferring data between disk and memory, and reading input or displaying output through stdin and stdout. 

Python uses expressions to calculate values from operators and operands. This part of the course covers different categories of operators and the order in which Python evaluates them. You'll then examine instructions that run only when a particular condition is met. Examples using the if statement show how indentation defines code blocks and determines which instructions belong together. You'll practise following these structures to work out what a script will do under different conditions. 

Functions give names to reusable instructions, while modules help organise related code. You'll distinguish functions from variables, examine arguments and see how function calls can form part of expressions. Function declarations are also introduced. The course then looks at containers, which hold multiple values. Using lists, strings and dictionaries, you'll identify how subscripting accesses individual elements and consider mutability: whether the contents of a container can be changed. These examples help explain structures you'll encounter when reading Python scripts. 

Some instructions need to run more than once. You'll examine while and for loops, including how Python repeats a sequence of instructions and how a loop can end early. The final session introduces objects as a way of grouping variables and functions. You'll identify attributes and methods through dot notation, then look at examples involving strings and lists. Classes are introduced as another type of data, giving you a first look at how these features appear in existing scripts.