Python Programming Course – Development

Python Programming Course: A 4-Month Self-Study Journey

Syllabus

Course Description

This comprehensive 4-month self-study course, “Python Programming Course,” is designed to take motivated beginners and intermediate learners on an engaging and practical journey into the world of Python. From foundational concepts to advanced topics and real-world applications, this course provides a structured and accessible pathway to becoming a proficient Python programmer. Through clear explanations, practical examples, and hands-on exercises, students will develop a strong understanding of Python’s syntax, data structures, object-oriented programming, file handling, error management, and more. The course culminates in a final project that allows students to integrate their acquired knowledge and build a practical Python application.

Primary Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand and apply core Python syntax, data types, and control flow mechanisms.
• Write functions and organize code into modules for reusability and maintainability.
• Master object-oriented programming (OOP) principles in Python.
• Work effectively with various data structures, including lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets.
• Perform file input/output operations and handle exceptions gracefully.
• Utilize common Python libraries for various tasks, including data manipulation and web interaction.
• Develop a strong problem-solving approach using Python.
• Design and implement a complete Python application as a final project.

Necessary Materials

• A computer with a stable internet connection.
• An integrated development environment (IDE) like VS Code, PyCharm, or an online Python interpreter (e.g., Google Colab).
• A text editor (e.g., Notepad++, Sublime Text, Atom) for basic code editing.
• Curiosity and a willingness to learn and experiment!

Course Content: 14 Weekly Lessons

Week 1-2: Foundations of Python (Lessons 1-2)

Lesson 1: Introduction to Python and Basic Syntax

• Learning Objectives:
• Understand what Python is and its common applications.
• Set up a Python development environment.
• Write and execute simple Python “Hello World” programs.
• Understand basic Python syntax, including comments and statements.
• Key Vocabulary:
• Python: A high-level, interpreted programming language.
• IDE (Integrated Development Environment): A software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development.
• Interpreter: A computer program that directly executes instructions written in a programming language.
• Syntax: The set of rules that defines how a program written in a certain language should be structured.
• Comment: Non-executable lines in code used for explanation.
• Statement: A single line of code that performs an action.
• Full Written Content:
  Welcome to the exciting world of Python! Python is a versatile and widely used programming language known for its readability and simplicity. It’s used in web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, scientific computing, and much more.

To start coding in Python, you’ll need a development environment. We recommend using an IDE like VS Code or PyCharm, but for simple exercises, an online interpreter is also a great option.

Let’s begin with the classic “Hello World!” program. This is often the first program a programmer writes in a new language. It simply prints the phrase “Hello World!” to the console.

print("Hello World!") 

In Python, the print() function is used to display output. Notice the parentheses () after print and the quotation marks "" around “Hello World!”. The text inside the quotation marks is a “string” of characters.

Comments are crucial for making your code understandable. In Python, you use the # symbol to denote a single-line comment. Anything after # on that line is ignored by the interpreter.

# This is a single-line comment print("Python is fun!") # This comment explains the print statement 

A “statement” in Python is an instruction that the Python interpreter can execute. For example, print("Hello World!") is a statement.

• Practical Hands-on Examples:
• Install Python and an IDE (VS Code or PyCharm) on your computer.
• Write a Python program that prints your name to the console.
• Add comments to your program explaining each line of code.

Lesson 2: Variables, Data Types, and Operators

• Learning Objectives:
• Understand what variables are and how to declare them.
• Identify and use common Python data types (integers, floats, strings, booleans).
• Perform basic arithmetic, comparison, and logical operations.
• Key Vocabulary:
• Variable: A named storage location in memory used to store data.
• Data Type: Classification that specifies what kind of value a variable can hold (e.g., number, text).
• Integer (int): Whole numbers (e.g., 5, -100).
• Float (float): Numbers with a decimal point (e.g., 3.14, -0.5).
• String (str): A sequence of characters (e.g., “Hello”, “Python”).
• Boolean (bool): A data type that can only be True or False.
• Operator: Symbols that perform operations on values and variables.
• Arithmetic Operators: +, -, *, /, %, \*\*, //.\ \\Comparison Operators:\ ==, \!=, \<, \>, \<=, \>=.\ \\Logical Operators:\ and, or, not.\ \ \\Full Written Content:\\ Variables are fundamental to programming. They are like containers that hold data. In Python, you declare a variable by giving it a name and assigning it a value using the \=\ operator.\ \ \ \name = "Alice" age = 30 height = 1.75 is\_student = True \\ \Python is dynamically typed, meaning you don't need to explicitly declare the data type. The interpreter infers it. Let's look at common data types:\ \ \\Integers (\int\):\ Whole numbers. \age = 30\\ \\Floats (\float\):\ Numbers with decimal points. \height = 1.75\\ \\Strings (\str\):\ Sequences of characters, enclosed in single or double quotes. \name = "Alice"\\ \\Booleans (\bool\):\ Represent truth values, either \True\ or \False\. \is\_student = True\\ \ \Operators allow you to perform operations on variables and values.\ \\Arithmetic Operators:\\ \ \\+\ (addition)\ \\-\ (subtraction)\ \\* (multiplication)
• / (division)
• % (modulo – returns the remainder)
• ** (exponentiation)
• // (floor division – returns the integer part of the quotient)

a = 10 b = 3 print(a + b) # Output: 13 print(a / b) # Output: 3.3333333333333335 print(a % b) # Output: 1 

Comparison Operators: Used to compare two values. They return True or False.

• == (equal to)
• != (not equal to)
• < (less than)
• > (greater than)
• <= (less than or equal to)
• >= (greater than or equal to)

x = 5 y = 8 print(x == y) # Output: False print(x < y) # Output: True 

Logical Operators: Used to combine conditional statements.