Learn to Program

Posted by Derek Banas on Jun 19, 2016 in Web Design | 0 comments

Many people asked me to make a tutorial that teaches how to program and so here it is. I’ll be teaching how to program through problem solving which I think is the best way to learn. Python is the best first language and so I’ll use Python 3.5 to teach. And, based on your requests I will use PyCharm in this tutorial series.

I cover receiving input, printing to the screen, doing math, comparison operators, logical operators, if, elif, else and a whole lot more. The code and a transcript of the video can be found below to help you learn.

If you like videos like this consider throwing a dollar at me on Patreon.

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Code and Transcript

# Programming involves listing all the things that must happen to solve a problem
# When writing a program first determine step-by-step what needs to happen
# Then convert those steps into the language being Python in this situation

# Every language has the following
# 1. The ability to accept input and store it in many ways
# 2. The ability to output information to the screen, files, etc.
# 3. The ability to conditionally do one thing or another thing
# 4. The ability to do something multiple times
# 5. The ability to make mathematical calculations
# 6. The ability to change data
# 7. (Object Oriented Programming) Model real world objects using code

# ---------- Hello World ----------

# Ask the user to input their name and assign it to the name variable
# Variable names start with a letter or _ and then can contain numbers
# Names are case sensitive so name is not the same as Name
name = input('What is your name ')

# Print out Hello followed by the name they entered
print('Hello ', name)

# You can't use the following for variable names
# and, del, from, not, while, as, elif, global,
# or, with, assert, else, if, pass, yield, break,
# except, import, print, class, exec, in, raise,
# continue, finally, is, return, def, for, lambda,
# try

# Single line comments are ignored by the interpreter
'''
So are multiline comments
'''

# ---------- MATH ON 2 VALUES ----------

# Ask the user to input 2 values and store them in variables num1 and num2
# split() splits input using whitespace
num1, num2 = input('Enter 2 numbers : ').split()

# Convert strings into regular numbers (integers)
num1 = int(num1)
num2 = int(num2)

# Add the values entered and store in sum
sum = num1 + num2

# Subtract the values and store in difference
difference = num1 - num2

# Multiply the values and store in product
product = num1 * num2

# Divide the values and store in quotient
quotient = num1 / num2

# Use modulus on the values to find the remainder
remainder = num1 % num2

# Print your results
# format() loads the variable values in order into the {} placeholders
print("{} + {} = {}".format(num1, num2, sum))
print("{} - {} = {}".format(num1, num2, difference))
print("{} * {} = {}".format(num1, num2, product))
print("{} / {} = {}".format(num1, num2, quotient))
print("{} % {} = {}".format(num1, num2, remainder))

# ---------- PROBLEM : MILES TO KILOMETERS ----------
# Sample knowing that kilometers = miles * 1.60934
# Enter Miles 5
# 5 miles equals 8.0467 kilometers

# Ask the user to input miles and assign it to the miles variable
miles = input('Enter Miles ')

# Convert from string to integer
miles = int(miles)

# Perform calculation by multiplying 1.60934 times miles
kilometers = miles * 1.60934

# Print results using format()
print("{} miles equals {} kilometers".format(miles, kilometers))

# ---------- CALCULATOR ----------
# Receive 2 numbers separated by an operator and show a result
# Sample
# Enter Calculation: 5 * 6
# 5 * 6 = 30

# Store the user input of 2 numbers and an operator
num1, operator, num2 = input('Enter Calculation: ').split()

# Convert strings into integers
num1 = int(num1)
num2 = int(num2)

# If, else if (elif) and else execute different code depending on a condition
if operator == "+":
    print("{} + {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1+num2))

# If the 1st condition wasn't true check if this one is
elif operator == "-":
    print("{} - {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1 - num2))
elif operator == "*":
    print("{} * {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1 * num2))
elif operator == "/":
    print("{} / {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1 / num2))

# If none of the above conditions were true then execute this by default
else:
    print("Use either + - * or / next time")

# Other conditional operators
# > : Greater than
# < : Less than
# >= : Greater than or equal to
# <= : Less than or equal to
# != : Not equal to

# ---------- IS BIRTHDAY IMPORTANT ----------
# We'll provide different output based on age
# 1 - 18 -> Important
# 21, 50, > 65 -> Important
# All others -> Not Important

# eval() converts a string into an integer if it meets the guidelines
age = eval(input("Enter age: "))

# Logical operators can be used to combine conditions
# and : If both are true it returns true
# or : If either are true it returns true
# not : Converts true into false and vice versa

# If age is both greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 18 it is true
if (age >= 1) and (age <= 18):
    print("Important Birthday")

# If age is either 21 or 50 then it is true
elif (age == 21) or (age == 50):
    print("Important Birthday")

# We check if age is less than 65 and then convert true to false or vice versa
# This is the same as if we put age > 65
elif not(age < 65):
    print("Important Birthday")
else:
    print("Sorry Not Important")

# ---------- PROBLEM : DETERMINE GRADE ----------
# If age 5 go to kindergarten
# Ages 6 through 17 goes to grades 1 through 12
# If age is greater then 17 then say go to college
# Try to complete with 10 or less lines

# Ask for the age
age = eval(input("Enter age: "))

# Handle if age < 5
if age < 5:
    print("Too Young for School")

# Special output just for age 5
elif age == 5:
    print("Go to Kindergarten")

# Since a number is the result for ages 6 - 17 we can check them all
# with 1 condition
# Use calculation to limit the conditions checked
elif (age > 5) and (age <= 17):
    grade = age - 5
    print("Go to {} grade".format(grade))

# Handle everyone else
else:
    print("Go to College")

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# Programming involves listing all the things that must happen to solve a problem

# When writing a program first determine step-by-step what needs to happen

# Then convert those steps into the language being Python in this situation

# Every language has the following

# 1. The ability to accept input and store it in many ways

# 2. The ability to output information to the screen, files, etc.

# 3. The ability to conditionally do one thing or another thing

# 4. The ability to do something multiple times

# 5. The ability to make mathematical calculations

# 6. The ability to change data

# 7. (Object Oriented Programming) Model real world objects using code

# ---------- Hello World ----------

# Ask the user to input their name and assign it to the name variable

# Variable names start with a letter or _ and then can contain numbers

# Names are case sensitive so name is not the same as Name

name = input('What is your name ')

# Print out Hello followed by the name they entered

print('Hello ', name)

# You can't use the following for variable names

# and, del, from, not, while, as, elif, global,

# or, with, assert, else, if, pass, yield, break,

# except, import, print, class, exec, in, raise,

# continue, finally, is, return, def, for, lambda,

# try

# Single line comments are ignored by the interpreter

'''

So are multiline comments

'''

# ---------- MATH ON 2 VALUES ----------

# Ask the user to input 2 values and store them in variables num1 and num2

# split() splits input using whitespace

num1, num2 = input('Enter 2 numbers : ').split()

# Convert strings into regular numbers (integers)

num1 = int(num1)

num2 = int(num2)

# Add the values entered and store in sum

sum = num1 + num2

# Subtract the values and store in difference

difference = num1 - num2

# Multiply the values and store in product

product = num1 * num2

# Divide the values and store in quotient

quotient = num1 / num2

# Use modulus on the values to find the remainder

remainder = num1 % num2

# Print your results

# format() loads the variable values in order into the {} placeholders

print("{} + {} = {}".format(num1, num2, sum))

print("{} - {} = {}".format(num1, num2, difference))

print("{} * {} = {}".format(num1, num2, product))

print("{} / {} = {}".format(num1, num2, quotient))

print("{} % {} = {}".format(num1, num2, remainder))

# ---------- PROBLEM : MILES TO KILOMETERS ----------

# Sample knowing that kilometers = miles * 1.60934

# Enter Miles 5

# 5 miles equals 8.0467 kilometers

# Ask the user to input miles and assign it to the miles variable

miles = input('Enter Miles ')

# Convert from string to integer

miles = int(miles)

# Perform calculation by multiplying 1.60934 times miles

kilometers = miles * 1.60934

# Print results using format()

print("{} miles equals {} kilometers".format(miles, kilometers))

# ---------- CALCULATOR ----------

# Receive 2 numbers separated by an operator and show a result

# Sample

# Enter Calculation: 5 * 6

# 5 * 6 = 30

# Store the user input of 2 numbers and an operator

num1, operator, num2 = input('Enter Calculation: ').split()

# Convert strings into integers

num1 = int(num1)

num2 = int(num2)

# If, else if (elif) and else execute different code depending on a condition

if operator == "+":

print("{} + {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1+num2))

# If the 1st condition wasn't true check if this one is

elif operator == "-":

print("{} - {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1 - num2))

elif operator == "*":

print("{} * {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1 * num2))

elif operator == "/":

print("{} / {} = {}".format(num1, num2, num1 / num2))

# If none of the above conditions were true then execute this by default

else:

print("Use either + - * or / next time")

# Other conditional operators

# > : Greater than

# < : Less than

# >= : Greater than or equal to

# <= : Less than or equal to

# != : Not equal to

# ---------- IS BIRTHDAY IMPORTANT ----------

# We'll provide different output based on age

# 1 - 18 -> Important

# 21, 50, > 65 -> Important

# All others -> Not Important

# eval() converts a string into an integer if it meets the guidelines

age = eval(input("Enter age: "))

# Logical operators can be used to combine conditions

# and : If both are true it returns true

# or : If either are true it returns true

# not : Converts true into false and vice versa

# If age is both greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 18 it is true

if (age >= 1) and (age <= 18):

print("Important Birthday")

# If age is either 21 or 50 then it is true

elif (age == 21) or (age == 50):

print("Important Birthday")

# We check if age is less than 65 and then convert true to false or vice versa

# This is the same as if we put age > 65

elif not(age < 65):

print("Important Birthday")

else:

print("Sorry Not Important")

# ---------- PROBLEM : DETERMINE GRADE ----------

# If age 5 go to kindergarten

# Ages 6 through 17 goes to grades 1 through 12

# If age is greater then 17 then say go to college

# Try to complete with 10 or less lines

# Ask for the age

age = eval(input("Enter age: "))

# Handle if age < 5

if age < 5:

print("Too Young for School")

# Special output just for age 5

elif age == 5:

print("Go to Kindergarten")

# Since a number is the result for ages 6 - 17 we can check them all

# with 1 condition

# Use calculation to limit the conditions checked

elif (age > 5) and (age <= 17):

grade = age - 5

print("Go to {} grade".format(grade))

# Handle everyone else

else:

print("Go to College")

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Learn to Program

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