Introduction 'Basic Python'

This part of the course day allows you to start learning Python and is aimed at complete beginners.

You can develop in Python on an HPC cluster, or on your computer: both are equally fine.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the learning outcomes of this part of the day
• Understand how this part of the day is organized

A concept map to show how all themes are connected

flowchart TD
  python[[Python]]

  user_input[User input]
  file_io[File I/O]
  command_line_arguments[Command-line arguments]
  variables[Variables]
  operators[Operators]
  functions[Functions]
  python_packages[Python packages]
  graphics[Graphics]


  python --> |has| python_packages
  python --> |has| variables
  python --> |has| functions
  python --> |has| operators
  functions --> |use| variables
  operators --> |work on| variables
  python_packages --> |allow| graphics
  python_packages --> |allow to use| user_input
  python_packages --> |allow to do| file_io
  python_packages --> |allow to use| command_line_arguments

In these sessions, we use the book How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python 3.

As you and your fellow learners will have different initial skills, you are encouraged to work through this book as fast as you like: there will be time for any individual question in breakout rooms.

This will be the progression followed by the teacher, as this is deemed most important to academics:

Hour	Book chapter	Goal
1	The Way of the Program	Introduces Python from the very start
2	Variables, expressions and statements, variables	Introduces basic Python concepts
2	Variables, expressions and statements, operators	.
2	Variables, expressions and statements, user input	.
3	File IO	Write to a file
.	(fast) Command line arguments	Create scripts that can be called with arguments
.	(fast) Your favorite chapter	Learn what you need most