Python Course

Beginner-friendly Python notes and practice code. Every part has one markdown file with the theory and examples, written in plain language so anyone can follow along without prior programming experience.

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Contents

Part	Topic	Notes
1	Introduction to Python	Introduction to python.md
2	Variables & Data Types	Variables and Data Types.md
3	Type Conversion & User Input	Type Conversion and User Input.md
4	Operators	Operators.md
5	Conditional Statements	Conditional Statements.md
6	Loops	Loops.md
7	Strings	Strings.md
8	Lists	Lists.md
9	Tuples	Tuples.md

Part 1 — Introduction to Python

What Python is, why it is worth learning, installing Python and VS Code, running your first program, comments, and how Python works internally (bytecode and the PVM).

Part 2 — Variables & Data Types

Variables, assignment, naming rules, dynamic typing, the core data types (int, float, bool, str, None), checking types with type(), and mutable vs immutable objects.

Part 3 — Type Conversion & User Input

Implicit vs explicit conversion, int(), float(), str(), bool(), truthy and falsy values, taking input with input(), converting input to numbers, multiple inputs with split() and map(), and the common TypeError / ValueError mistakes.

Part 4 — Operators

Operators and operands, arithmetic operators (+ - * / // % **), assignment shortcuts (+=, -= and the rest), comparison operators, logical and / or / not, short-circuiting, and operator precedence.

Part 5 — Conditional Statements

Indentation and blocks, if, else, elif chains and why order matters, nested conditions, the one-line ternary operator, and using truthy / falsy values as conditions.

Part 6 — Loops

Why loops exist, for loops, range() and why the stop value is excluded, while loops and infinite loops, for vs while, nested loops and patterns, break, continue, pass, and the loop else.

Part 7 — Strings

Quotes and multi-line strings, len(), indexing and negative indexing, slicing with s[start:end:step], reversing with s[::-1], the + / * / in operators, the common string methods, split() and join(), f-strings, and string immutability.

Part 8 — Lists

Creating and accessing lists, indexing and slicing, mutability, adding elements with append() / insert() / extend(), removing with remove() / pop() / del, the common list methods, sort() vs sorted(), reverse(), nested lists, why b = a is not a copy, list comprehension, and two interview problems — second largest number and removing duplicates while keeping the order.

Part 9 — Tuples

Creating tuples and why the comma matters more than the brackets, single item tuples, indexing and slicing, immutability and the TypeError it raises, the only two methods count() and index(), changing a tuple through list() and tuple(), why sorted() returns a list, unpacking and swapping, *rest unpacking, why a mutable item inside a tuple can still change, tuple vs list, and four interview questions.

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Files in this repo

File	What it is
Introduction to python.md	Part 1 notes
Variables and Data Types.md	Part 2 notes
Type Conversion and User Input.md	Part 3 notes
Operators.md	Part 4 notes
Conditional Statements.md	Part 5 notes
Loops.md	Part 6 notes
Strings.md	Part 7 notes
Lists.md	Part 8 notes
Tuples.md	Part 9 notes
script.py	Working practice code for the current part
notes.txt	Raw rough notes for the part being recorded

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Getting Started

1. Install Python

Download Python 3 from https://www.python.org/downloads/. On Windows, tick "Add Python to PATH" during installation.

Check that it worked:

python --version      # Windows
python3 --version     # macOS / Linux

2. Install VS Code

Download from https://code.visualstudio.com/, then install the Python extension by Microsoft.

Select your interpreter: Ctrl + Shift + P / Cmd + Shift + P → Python: Select Interpreter.

3. Run the code

python script.py      # Windows
python3 script.py     # macOS / Linux

Or press the Run (▶) button in VS Code.

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How to Use These Notes

1. Read the markdown file for the part you are on.
2. Type the examples yourself in script.py — do not copy-paste. Typing is how it sticks.
3. Do the Practice Questions at the end of each file before moving on.
4. Use the Quick Recap section to revise later.

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Requirements

• Python 3.x
• Any code editor (VS Code recommended)
• No external libraries needed