The Programming Cycle for Python

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 Run
with some input

Write/Edit
OK?
NO
YES

YES
NO More
Inputs?
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 User Program
Filename, preferred extension is py
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IN[1]: Python Shell Prompt

IN[2]:
User Commands
IN[3]: (Statements)

IN[4]: ( )

Outputs

Python Shell is Interactive

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 Interacting with Python Programs
• Python program communicates its results to
user using print
• Most useful programs require information
from users
– Name and age for a travel reservation system
• Python 3 uses input to read user input as a
string (str)

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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 input
• Take as argument a string to print as a prompt
• Returns the user typed value as a string
– details of how to process user string later

IN[1]:

IN[2]: ( )

IN[3]:

Sep 8, 2025 Programming 6

 Elements of Python
• A Python program is a sequence of definitions
and commands (statements)
• Commands manipulate objects
• Each object is associated with a Type
• Type:
– A set of values
– A set of operations on these values
• Expressions: An operation (combination of
objects and operators)
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Types in Python
• int
– Bounded integers, e.g. 732 or -5
• float
– Real numbers, e.g. 3.14 or 2.0
• long
– Long integers with unlimited precision
• str
– Strings, e.g. ‘hello’ or ‘C’

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 Types in Python
• Scalar
– Indivisible objects that do not have internal
structure
– int (signed integers), float (floating point), bool
(Boolean), NoneType
• NoneType is a special type with a single value
• The value is called None
• Non-Scalar
– Objects having internal structure
– str (strings)
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 Example of Types

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 Type Conversion (Type Cast)

• Conversion of value of one type to other

• We are used to int float conversion in Math
– Integer 3 is treated as float 3.0 when a real
number is expected
– Float 3.6 is truncated as 3, or rounded off as 4 for
integer contexts
• Type names are used as type converter
functions

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 Type Conversion Examples
Note that float to int conversion
is truncation, not rounding off

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 Type Conversion and Input

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 Operators
• Arithmetic + - * // / % **

• Comparison == != > < >= <=

• Assignment = += -= *= //= /= %= **=

• Logical and or not
• Bitwise & | ^ ~ >> <<
• Membership in not in
• Identity is is not

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 Variables
• A name associated with an m
object 64
• Assignment used for binding Acads
m = 64; c
3.1416
c = ‘Acads’;
f = 3.1416; f

• Variables can change their 2.7183

bindings
f = 2.7183;
Sep 8, 2025 Programming
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 Assignment Statement
• A simple assignment statement
Variable = Expression;
• Computes the value (object) of the expression
on the right hand side expression (RHS)
• Associates the name (variable) on the left
hand side (LHS) with the RHS value
• = is known as the assignment operator.

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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Multiple Assignments
• Python allows multiple assignments
x, y = 10, 20 Binds x to 10 and y to 20

• Evaluation of multiple assignment statement:

– All the expressions on the RHS of the = are first
evaluated before any binding happens.
– Values of the expressions are bound to the
corresponding variable on the LHS.
x, y = 10, 20 x is bound to 21
x, y = y+1, x+1 and y to 11 at the
end of the program
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Programming using Python

Operators and Expressions

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 Binary Operations
Op Meaning Example Remarks

+ Addition 9+2 is 11
9.1+2.0 is 11.1
- Subtraction 9-2 is 7
9.1-2.0 is 7.1
* Multiplication 9*2 is 18
9.1*2.0 is 18.2
/ Division 9/2 is 4.25 In Python3
9.1/2.0 is 4.55 Real div.
// Integer Division 9//2 is 4
% Remainder 9%2 is 1

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 The // operator
• Also referred to as “integer division”
• Result is a whole integer (floor of real
division)
– But the type need not be int
– the integral part of the real division
– rounded towards minus infinity
• Examples
9//4 is 2 (-1)//2 is -1 (-1)//(-2) is 0
1//2 is 0 1//(-2) is -1 9//4.5 is 2.0
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09/08/2025 Programming
 The % operator
• The remainder operator % returns the
remainder of the result of dividing its
first operand by its second.
9%4 is 1 (-1)%2 is 1 (-1)//(-2) is 0
9%4.5 is 0.0 1%(-2) is 1 1%0.6 is 0.4

Ideally: x == (x//y)*y + x %y
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09/08/2025 Programming
 Conditional Statements
• In daily routine
– If it is very hot, I will skip
exercise.
– If there is a quiz tomorrow, I will
first study and then sleep.
Otherwise I will sleep now.
– If I have to buy coffee, I will
go left. Else I will go
straight. 22
Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 if-else statement
• Compare two integers and print the min.

if x < y: 1. Check if x is less

print (x) than y.
2. If so, print x
else: 3. Otherwise, print y.
print (y)
print (‘is the minimum’)

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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Indentation
• Indentation is important in Python
– grouping of statement (block of statements)
– no explicit brackets, e.g. { }, to group statements
x,y = 6,10 Run
x the program
y

if x < y: 6 10
print (x)
else:
print (y) ed Output
i p p
sk the min’)
print (‘is 6 24
Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 if statement (no else!)
• General form of the if statement
e
if boolean-expr : tru

fals
e
S1
S1
S2
• Execution of if statement S2
– First the expression is evaluated.
– If it evaluates to a true value, then S1 is
executed and then control moves to the S2.
– If expression evaluates to false, then control
moves to the S2 directly.
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 if-else statement
• General form of the if-else statement
if boolean-expr : rt u
e

fa
S1

ls
e
else: S1 S2
S2
S3 S3
• Execution of if-else statement
– First the expression is evaluated.
– If it evaluates to a true value, then S1 is executed and
then control moves to S3.
– If expression evaluates to false, then S2 is executed
and then control moves to S3.
– S1/S2 can be blocks of statements! 26
Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Nested if, if-else

if a <= b:
if a <= c:
…
else:
…
else:
if b <= c) :
…
else:
… 27
Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Elif
• A special kind of nesting is the chain of if-
else-if-else-… statements
• Can be written elegantly using if-elif-..-else
if cond1: if cond1:
s1 s1
else: elif cond2:
if cond2: s2
s2 elif cond3:
else: s3
if cond3: elif …
s3 else
else: last-block-of-stmt
…
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Summary of if, if-else
• if-else, nested if's, elif.
• Multiple ways to solve a problem
–issues of readability,
maintainability
–and efficiency

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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Class Quiz
• What is the value of expression:
(5<2) and (3/0 > 1)

a) Run time crash/error

b) I don’t know / I don’t care

c) False
The correct answer is
False
d) True
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Short-circuit Evaluation
• Do not evaluate the second operand of binary
short-circuit logical operator if the result can be
deduced from the first operand
– Also applies to nested logical operators

true false false true

not( (2>5) and (3/0 > 1) ) or (4/0 < 2)

Evaluates to true
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 3 Factors for Expr Evaluation
• Precedence
– Applied to two different class of operators
– + and *, - and *, and and or, …
• Associativity
– Applied to operators of same class
– * and *, + and -, * and /, …
• Order
– Precedence and associativity identify the operands for
each operator
– Not which operand is evaluated first
– Python evaluates expressions from left to right
– While evaluating an assignment, the right-hand side is32
Sep 8, 2025 Programming
evaluated before the left-hand side.
Class Quiz
• What is the output of the following program:
y = 0.1*3
if y != 0.3:
print ('Launch a Missile')
else:
print ("Let's have peace")
Launch a Missile
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Caution about Using Floats
• Representation of real numbers in a computer
can not be exact
– Computers have limited memory to store data
– Between any two distinct real numbers, there are
infinitely many real numbers.
• On a typical machine running Python, there are
53 bits of precision available for a Python float

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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Caution about Using Floats
• The value stored internally for the decimal
number 0.1 is the binary fraction
0.00011001100110011001100110011001100110011001100110011010

• Equivalent to decimal value

0.1000000000000000055511151231257827021181583404541015625

• Approximation is similar to decimal

approximation 1/3 = 0.333333333...
• No matter how many digits you use, you have
an approximation
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Sep 8, 2025 Programming
 Comparing Floats
• Because of the approximations, comparison of
floats is not exact.
• Solution?
• Instead of
x == y
use
abs(x-y) <= epsilon
where epsilon is a suitably chosen small value

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Sep 8, 2025 Programming