Guide to Python: Lesson 01

Lesson One

Welcome to the lesson one of Python Guide. Thanks for taking time to upskill yourself, it is an honor for me that you came here to learn something from me. I love breaking down complex topics in simple understandable language. So let's get started, have fun and enjoy this new path of growth. 

Basics

What is Python? 

Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language know for its simplicity, readability, and versatility. It was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. 

What is Language? 

A language is a system of communication that involves a structured arrangement of sounds, symbols, or gestures to convey meaning. It can be spoken, written, or signed, and is used by humans for a wide range of purpose, including expressing thoughts, emotions, ideas and information.

What is Programming? 

Programming is the process of creating a set of instructions that tell a computer how to perform a task. It involves giving a series of commands to a computer, which can be written in various programming languages like JavaScript, Python, and C++. These instructions can range from controlling Mars rovers to processing medical data to producing special effects in movies. It is a collaborative process between humans and computers, where programmers communicate with computers through code to achieve specific outcomes. 

What is a code? 

In programming, a 'Code' refers to a set of instruction or commands written in a programming language that a computer can understand and execute. These instructions serves as the blueprint that directs a computer to perform specific tasks or operations, ranging from simple calculations to complex data manipulations and interactions with hardware. 

This is an example of a one line code in Python, which directs the computer to print "Hello, world". 

(' # Print Hello, world.' is a comment. )

Python code written in VS Code 

Types of Languages: 

We humans speak our mother tongue fluently, but do not understand other languages unless we learn them or we use a translator or interpreter. Similarly computers understand only one language that is binary which is written in only zeroes and ones (states). 

For example this line "Calculate this 567876/453" written in binary would be like this: 

01000011 01100001 01101100 01100011 01110101 01101100 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 00110101 00110110 00110111 00111000 00110111 00110110 00101111 00110100 00110101 00110011

Neither it is feasible to write in binary nor to interpret it. Then what is the solution? Compiler: A compiler is a translator between computer and humas. It translates our languages to the binary language that computers understand. On the other hand Operating System and Application Software translate the binary into human understandable form like- text, images, audio, video etc. 

There are mainly two types of languages in Computer Science based on abstraction level and ease of use: 

1. Low-level Language

A programming language that is close to the hardware, means a language that provides little or no abstraction from a computer's instruction set architecture. It is very close to writing actual machine instructions and deals directly with a computer's hardware components and constraints. 

Examples of low-level languages  are Machine code and Assembly language etc.

Reference: Perplexity.ai 

1. High-Level Language

A high-level programming language is a type of programming language designed to simplify computer programming and make it more accessible to humas. These languages are considered 'high-level' because they are closer to human languages and further from machine languages, which are the binary instructions that computers directly execute. 

Examples of high-level languages include Python, Java, C++, JavaScript etc. These provide a high level of abstraction from the computer's hardware architecture, making it easier for programmers to focus on the logic of the program without worrying about the intricacies of the computer's inner working. 

Python code written in Visual Studio Code 

What is General-Purpose language?

A general-purpose programming language is a programming language that is broadly applicable across a variety of application domains, and may lack specialized features for a particular domain. The ability to handle a wide range of programming tasks makes general-purpose languages popular and widely used by developers.

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Thanks, see you in the next lesson.