Python 3 Basics Tutorial

This is a tutorial for novice programmers. You are the learner I had in mind when writing this tutorial if:

• you have worked a little with a different programming language like R, MATLAB or C.
• you have no programming experience at all
• you know Python well and would like to teach others

This tutorial works best if you follow the chapters and exercises step by step.

Goals

The main goal of this tutorial is to enable you to write Python projects with up to 100 lines. Here you find a detailed syllabus:

• Learning Goals

First Steps

• Installing Python
• My first program
• How to write programs
• Reading from the keyboard
• Screen output
• Storing text
• Recap

Python as a Calculator

• Using Python as a calculator
• Storing numbers
• Converting numbers to text and back

Plotting

• Overview of data types in Python
• Creating lists

Iteration

• Repeating instructions
• Shortcuts
• Working with tables

Aggregation

• Reading a simple text file
• Extracting data from text
• String methods
• Writing files
• Processing multiple files

Conditionals

• Working with directories
• Making decisions

Conditional Loops

• while
• Structuring programs

Dictionaries

• Dictionaries

Appendix

Revising concept

• Recap Questions
• Tuples
• Writing your own functions
• Modules
• Introspection
• Background information on Python 3
• Recommended books and websites

License

© 2015 Dr. Kristian Rother (krother@academis.eu)

with contributions by Allegra Via, Kaja Milanowska and Anna Philips

Distributed under the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike License 4.0

Sources of this document can be found on https://github.com/krother/Python3_Basics_Tutorial

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people for inspiring exchange on training an d Python that this tutorial has benefited from: Pedro Fernandes, Tomasz Puton, E dward Jenkins, Bernard Szlachta, Robert Lehmann and Magdalena Rother