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Python Basics

Approx. 36 hours to complete

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Course Summary

In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of Python programming, including variables and data types, control structures, functions, and more. You'll also get hands-on experience with a variety of programming exercises and projects to help solidify your understanding of the material.

Key Learning Points

Learn the basics of Python programming
Get hands-on experience with programming exercises and projects
Gain a solid understanding of variables, data types, control structures, functions and more

Learning Outcomes

A solid understanding of Python programming
Hands-on experience with programming exercises and projects
The ability to apply Python programming to real-world situations

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic computer skills
No prior programming experience necessary

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online self-paced course
Video lectures
Programming exercises
Projects

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Description

This course introduces the basics of Python 3, including conditional execution and iteration as control structures, and strings and lists as data structures. You'll program an on-screen Turtle to draw pretty pictures. You'll also learn to draw reference diagrams as a way to reason about program executions, which will help to build up your debugging skills. The course has no prerequisites. It will cover Chapters 1-9 of the textbook "Fundamentals of Python Programming," which is the accompanying text (optional and free) for this course.

Outline

General Introduction
Introduction to the Specialization
How to Use the Interactive Textbook
Getting Started
Values and Data Types
Operators and Operands
Function Calls
Data Types
Type Conversion Functions
Variables
Statements and Expressions
More About Statements and Expressions
Updating Variables
Hard-Coding
Input
Introduction - Objects and Turtle Graphics
Our First Turtle Program
Instances: A Herd of Turtles
Repetition with a For Loop
More Turtle Methods
Importing Modules
Conclusion - Turtle Graphics
Introduction - Debugging
Syntax, Runtime, and Semantic Errors
Know Your Error Messages
Incremental Programming
Common Errors
Conclusion - Debugging
Syllabus
Help Us Learn More About You!
Values and Data Types
Operators and Operands
Order of Operations
Function Calls
Data Types
Type Conversion Functions
Variables
Variable Names and Keywords
Choosing the Right Variable Name
Reassignment
Statements and Expressions
Updating Variables
Hard-Coding
Input
Hello Little Turtles!
Our First Turtle Program
Instances: A Herd of Turtles
Object Oriented Concepts
Repetition with a For Loop
A Few More Turtle Methods and Observations
Summary of Turtle Methods
Importing Modules
Syntax Errors
Runtime Errors
Semantic Errors
Know Your Error Messages
Incremental Programming
Common Errors
Practice Assignment - Drawing with Turtle
Optional - What Did You Use to Practice This Week?

Sequences and Iteration
Introduction - Sequence Mutation
Strings
Lists
Tuples
The Index Operator
The Slice Operator
Concatenation and Repetition
Count and Index
Split and Join
The For Loop
The Accumulator Pattern
The Range Function
Naming Your Variables in For Loops
Printing Intermediate Results
Keeping Track of Your Iterator Variable and Your Iterable
Introduction: Sequences
Strings
Lists
Tuples
Index Operator: Working with the Characters of a String and Accessing Elements in a List
Disambiguating []: Creation vs. Indexing
Length
The Slice Operator
Concatenation and Repetition
Count and Index
Splitting and Joining Strings
Introduction: Iteration
The for Loop
Flow of Execution of the for Loop
Strings and for Loops
Lists and for Loops
The Accumulator Pattern and the Range Function
(Optional) Traversal and the for Loop: By Index
(Optional) Nested Iteration: Image Processing
(Optional) The Gory Details: Iterables
Naming Variables in For Loops
Printing Intermediate Results
Keeping Track of Your Iterator Variable and Your Iterable
Optional - What Did You Use to Practice This Week?

Booleans and Conditionals
Boolean Expressions
Logical Operators
The in and not in Operators
Precedence of Operators
Conditional Execution
Unary Selection, Nested Conditionals, and Chained Conditionals
The Accumulator Pattern with Conditionals and Accumulating a Maximum Value
Intro: What We Can Do with Turtles and Conditionals
Boolean Values and Boolean Expressions
Logical Operators
The in and not in Operators
Precedence of Operators
Conditional Execution: Binary Selection
Omitting the else Clause: Unary Selection
Nested Conditionals
Chained Conditionals
Make a Flow Chart before You Write Your Code
The Accumulator Pattern with Conditionals
Accumulating a Maximum Value
Optional - What Did You Use to Practice This Week?

Sequence Mutation and Accumulation Patterns
Introduction - Sequence Mutation
Mutability
List Element Deletion
Objects and References
Aliasing
Cloning Lists
Conclusion - Sequence Mutation
Introduction - Methods on Lists and Strings
Methods on Lists
Append vs. Concatenate
Non-Mutating Methods on Strings
String Format Method
Conclusion - Methods on Lists and Strings
Introduction - Accumulating Lists and Strings
The Accumulator Pattern with Lists
The Accumulator Pattern with Strings
Conclusion - Accumulating Lists and Strings
Introduction - Way of the Programmer
Making Reference Diagrams
Accumulator Pattern Strategies
Conclusion - Way of the Programmer
Introduction - Final Course Assignment
Introduction: Transforming Sequences
Mutability
List Element Deletion
Objects and References
Aliasing
Cloning Lists
Methods on Lists
Append vs. Concatenate
Non-Mutating Methods on Strings
String Format Method
The Accumulator Pattern with Lists
The Accumulator Pattern with Strings
Accumulator Pattern Strategies
Don't Mutate A List That You Are Iterating Through
Course Feedback
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Summary of User Reviews

Python Basics is a highly recommended course on Coursera that covers the fundamental concepts of Python programming. Users have praised the course for its engaging content and interactive exercises. The course has received an overwhelmingly positive response from students.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

The course is well-structured and easy to follow, making it suitable for beginners.

Pros from User Reviews

Interactive exercises and quizzes keep the course engaging.
The course covers all the basic concepts of Python programming.
The instructor is knowledgeable and communicates effectively.
The course is free to audit and the paid version offers a certificate.
The course is designed for beginners, so no prior coding experience is required.

Cons from User Reviews

Some users found the course to be too basic and would have preferred more advanced topics.
The course does not cover Python libraries and frameworks in depth.
Some users experienced technical difficulties with the platform.
The course may not be challenging enough for users with prior coding experience.
Some users found the course to be too slow-paced.

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