Why would I learn this language?
Python has a very clean syntax and a well thought out design.
It is used in many different areas of software engineering such as web programming, scientific and numerical computing, and comes with a large standard library. There are many third party libraries available too.
Python is used by many large organizations in many successful projects.
Starting Points
- Beginner's Guide to Python
- Learn to program using Python. A beginners guide which includes to links to many useful resources.
- Learning to Program with Python (version 2)
- Learn to make a game of hangman from scratch.
Example Code
The following is an example of the Fizz Buzz problem. You can run and edit this program here.
for i in range(1, 101):
if i % 3 == 0 and i % 5 == 0:
print("FizzBuzz")
elif i % 3 == 0:
print("Fizz")
elif i % 5 == 0:
print("Buzz")
else:
print(i)
The following is an example of the 100 doors problem. You can run and edit this progam here.
def doors (n):
# Initialize an array
doors = [False] * n
# Process the doors
for i in range(n):
for j in range(i, n, i+1):
doors[j] = not doors[j]
# Print out the results
for k, door in enumerate(doors):
print("Door %d is" % (k+1), 'open.' if door else 'closed.')
# Call the function doors with n = 100
doors(100)
Further Reading
- Wikipedia: Python
- Python (Main Website)
- Python in Education
- Why Python?