Basics Day 1 — Session 1 (Hours 1–4)

Python Programming (Basic) • Orientation through Numbers & Operators

Session 1 Overview

Topics Covered Today

• Hour 1: Orientation + environment readiness
• Hour 2: First scripts: print(), comments, and reading errors
• Hour 3: Variables + basic types
• Hour 4: Numbers + operators

Hour 1: Orientation + Environment Readiness

Learning Outcomes

• Access the lab/VM and run Python
• Create a workspace folder and run a first script
• Understand the lab environment and file persistence

Platform Quick Start

LogicalCHOICE → LogicalLabs

• LogicalLabs opens in a new browser tab
• Allow pop-ups for the LogicalCHOICE domain
• Two-key reminder: Course content key ≠ lab key
  • Lab Access Key must be redeemed from Current Training → Redeem Training Key

Save and Suspend Culture

Best Practices

• Save All before breaks
• If disconnected, relaunch from the tile
• Files persist even if session state resets

Workspace Standard

All course work goes in a single course folder

• Create /data subfolder later for data files
• Avoids path/import issues

Course Workflow

Lecture → Demo → Lab

How Python Executes

• Interpreter mode: interactive testing
• Script file: save and run programs

Demo: Environment Setup

Steps

1. Launch LogicalLabs from LogicalCHOICE course tile
2. Open terminal / IDE in the lab VM
3. Run: python --version
4. Create folder: python_basics/
5. Create hello_course.py and run it
6. Save file, close it, re-open to confirm location

Lab: Environment Check + First Run

Time: 25-35 minutes

Tasks

• Create a folder for the course
• Create hello_course.py that prints your name and today's date
• Run it from terminal AND from the IDE

Completion Criteria

✓ Script runs without errors from both terminal and IDE
✓ Learner can find the output and locate the file on disk
✓ Learner can explain where course folder is located
✓ Learner confirms files persist after relaunch

Common Pitfalls (Hour 1)

Wrong interpreter selected in IDE
Saving file outside workspace
Confusing terminal path vs file path

Optional Extensions

• Add a second script that imports datetime and prints formatted date
• Add a 'run instructions' comment header

Quick Check

Question: What's the difference between running in the REPL and running a .py file?

Hour 2: First Scripts — print(), Comments, and Reading Errors

Learning Outcomes

• Use print() to produce output
• Explain indentation and syntax rules at a basic level
• Read and fix common beginner errors

The print() Function

Basic Usage

print("Hello, world!")
print("Welcome to Python Basics")

Multiple Arguments

print("Hello", "Python", "learners")
# Output: Hello Python learners

Comments in Python

Single-line Comments

# This is a comment
print("This is code")  # Comment after code

Why We Comment

• Explain "why", not "what"
• Add headers/run instructions
• Document tricky logic

Python Style Standards (Basics)

Key Rules

• 4-space indentation (no tabs)
• Descriptive names (snake_case)
• Prefer f-strings for readable output
• Comments explain "why," not "what"

# Good
user_name = "Alice"
total_count = 42

# Avoid
x = "Alice"
tc = 42

Common Beginner Errors

Missing Quotes

#  Error
print(Hello)

# ✓ Fixed
print("Hello")

Missing Parentheses

#  Error
print "Hello"

# ✓ Fixed
print("Hello")

Reading Error Messages

Example Error

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "script.py", line 3
    print(Hello)
          ^^^^^
NameError: name 'Hello' is not defined

What to Look For

1. File name and line number
2. Error type (NameError, SyntaxError, etc.)
3. Error message description

Demo: 5 Common Mistakes

Live-code these errors and fix them:

1. Missing closing quote
2. Missing closing parenthesis
3. Typo in function name
4. Using smart quotes (from copy/paste)
5. Wrong indentation

Goal: Fix each in < 30 seconds

Lab: Greeter

Time: 25-35 minutes

Tasks

• Write a program that prints a 3-line greeting
• Add a comment describing what the program does
• Intentionally create a syntax error, read the message, then fix it

Completion Criteria

✓ Output prints 3 lines correctly
✓ Learner can describe what changed when fixing the error

Common Pitfalls (Hour 2)

Using smart quotes from copy/paste
Missing closing parentheses/quotes

Optional Extensions

• Print a simple ASCII box around the greeting using \n and spacing

print("*" * 30)
print("*  Welcome to Python!      *")
print("*" * 30)

Quick Check

Question: Why is whitespace/indentation important in Python?

Hour 3: Variables + Basic Types

Learning Outcomes

• Create variables and assign values
• Use type() to inspect values
• Understand basic data types

What is a Variable?

Assignment

message = "Hello"
count = 42
price = 19.99
is_active = True

Reading Assignment Right to Left

x = 5  # 5 is assigned TO x

Naming Rules

Valid Identifiers

user_name = "Alice"
total_count = 100
max_score_2024 = 95

Invalid Identifiers

#  These don't work
2nd_place = "Bob"     # starts with number
user-name = "Alice"   # uses hyphen
class = "Python"      # reserved keyword

Basic Data Types

Strings (str)

name = "Alice"
city = 'New York'

Numbers

age = 25           # int
price = 19.99      # float

Booleans

is_student = True
has_graduated = False

The type() Function

Checking Types

name = "Alice"
age = 25
price = 19.99
is_active = True

print(type(name))      # <class 'str'>
print(type(age))       # <class 'int'>
print(type(price))     # <class 'float'>
print(type(is_active)) # <class 'bool'>

Variable Reassignment

Changing Values

count = 10
print(count)  # 10

count = 20
print(count)  # 20

Changing Types

value = 42        # int
value = "Hello"   # now str

Demo: Profile Card

Build a small profile card with variables:

name = "Alice Smith"
city = "Seattle"
favorite_number = 7
likes_python = True

print("Profile Card")
print("Name:", name)
print("City:", city)
print("Favorite Number:", favorite_number)
print("Likes Python:", likes_python)

Lab: Profile Card

Time: 25-35 minutes

Tasks

• Store: name, city, favorite number, and a boolean (e.g., likes_python)
• Print a formatted 'card' showing all values
• Use type() for each value and print the result

Example Output

=== Profile Card ===
Name: Alice Smith (type: <class 'str'>)
City: Seattle (type: <class 'str'>)
Favorite Number: 7 (type: <class 'int'>)
Likes Python: True (type: <class 'bool'>)

Completion Criteria (Hour 3)

✓ Program prints values and types correctly
✓ Learner uses clear variable names

Common Pitfalls (Hour 3)

Overwriting variable with a different type accidentally
NameError from typos
Using reserved keywords as variable names

Optional Extensions

• Add a computed value (favorite number + 10)
• Add user input for one field using input()

name = input("Enter your name: ")
print("Hello,", name)

Quick Check

Question: What's the difference between '5' and 5?

Hour 4: Numbers + Operators

Learning Outcomes

• Use arithmetic operators and understand precedence
• Explain integer vs float results
• Build simple calculations

Arithmetic Operators

Basic Operations

# Addition
result = 10 + 5      # 15

# Subtraction
result = 10 - 5      # 5

# Multiplication
result = 10 * 5      # 50

# Division (always returns float)
result = 10 / 5      # 2.0

More Operators

Floor Division

result = 10 // 3     # 3 (integer division)
result = 10 / 3      # 3.333...

Modulo (Remainder)

result = 10 % 3      # 1 (remainder)
result = 10 % 2      # 0 (even number check)

Exponentiation

result = 2 ** 3      # 8 (2 to the power of 3)

Order of Operations

PEMDAS

result = 2 + 3 * 4        # 14 (not 20)
result = (2 + 3) * 4      # 20 (parentheses first)
result = 2 ** 3 * 4       # 32 (exponent first)

Best Practice

Use parentheses for clarity:

# Less clear
total = price * 1.08 + shipping

# More clear
total = (price * 1.08) + shipping

Integer vs Float Division

Division Always Returns Float

result = 10 / 2      # 2.0 (not 2)
result = 9 / 3       # 3.0 (not 3)

Floor Division Returns Integer

result = 10 // 3     # 3
result = 10 // 2     # 5

Rounding Numbers

The round() Function

value = 3.14159
rounded = round(value, 2)    # 3.14

# For display, not storage
price = 19.999
display_price = round(price, 2)  # 20.0

Demo: Mini Calculator

Show Division Differences

print("Regular division:")
print(10 / 3)        # 3.333...

print("Floor division:")
print(10 // 3)       # 3

print("Modulo (remainder):")
print(10 % 3)        # 1

Even/Odd Check

number = 7
if number % 2 == 0:
    print("Even")
else:
    print("Odd")

Lab: Tip Calculator

Time: 25-35 minutes

Tasks

• Ask for bill total and tip percent
• Compute tip amount and final total
• Display results to 2 decimals using round() or formatting

Example Interaction

Enter bill total: 50.00
Enter tip percent (e.g., 15 for 15%): 18

Tip amount: $9.00
Final total: $59.00

Sample Solution Structure

# Get input
bill = float(input("Enter bill total: "))
tip_percent = float(input("Enter tip percent: "))

# Calculate
tip = bill * (tip_percent / 100)
total = bill + tip

# Display
print(f"Tip amount: ${tip:.2f}")
print(f"Final total: ${total:.2f}")

Completion Criteria (Hour 4)

✓ Correct totals for sample inputs
✓ Uses float conversion where needed
✓ Displays amounts with 2 decimal places

Common Pitfalls (Hour 4)

Forgetting to convert input() to float
Integer division surprises (using / vs //)
Rounding too early in calculations

Optional Extensions

• Add split count (divide by number of people)
• Add sales tax as an extra percent
• Handle $0 bill gracefully

# Split bill
num_people = int(input("Split among how many people? "))
per_person = total / num_people
print(f"Per person: ${per_person:.2f}")

Quick Check

Question: What does the % (modulo) operator return and when is it useful?

Session 1 Wrap-Up

What We Covered Today

Hour 1: Orientation

• Lab environment setup
• File persistence and workspace organization

Hour 2: First Scripts

• print() function
• Comments and error reading

Hour 3: Variables

• Variable assignment and naming
• Basic types: str, int, float, bool

Hour 4: Operators

• Arithmetic operations
• Division types and modulo
• Building a tip calculator

Scope Guardrail Reminder

Stay in Basics Scope

✓ Core syntax and basic types
✓ Simple calculations and string operations
✓ Clear variable names and comments

Not Yet (Advanced Topics)

✗ List comprehensions
✗ Lambda functions
✗ Decorators
✗ Generators
✗ Advanced OOP patterns

Homework / Practice

Recommended Exercises

1. Create a program that calculates area of different shapes
2. Build a simple currency converter
3. Create a BMI calculator with formatted output
4. Practice fixing syntax errors deliberately

Next Session Preview

Session 2 (Hours 5–8)

• Hour 5: String indexing and slicing
• Hour 6: String methods (normalize, search, replace)
• Hour 7: Input/output + type conversion
• Hour 8: Checkpoint 1 (mini-assessment)

Questions?

Remember:

• Save your work frequently
• Practice reading error messages
• Use clear, descriptive variable names
• Comment your code when helpful

Thank You!

See you in Session 2!