Python Overview
Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming language. Created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991, Python's design philosophy emphasizes code readability with its notable use of significant whitespace.
Key Features
- Easy to learn: Python has a simple syntax similar to the English language.
- Interpreted language: Python is processed at runtime by the interpreter.
- Cross-platform: Python runs on Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS X, and has been ported to Java and .NET virtual machines.
- Large standard library: Python comes with a large standard library that supports many common programming tasks.
- Dynamically typed: You don't need to declare the type of variable.
- Supports multiple programming paradigms: Object-oriented, imperative, functional programming styles.
- Memory management: Automatic garbage collection.
Common Use Cases
Web Development
Popular frameworks like Django and Flask make Python a great choice for backend web development.
Data Science
Libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib make Python ideal for data analysis and visualization.
Machine Learning
TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn are popular ML libraries in Python.
Scripting & Automation
Python is often used to write scripts for automating repetitive tasks.
Example Code
# Simple Python program to demonstrate basic syntax
def greet(name):
"""This function greets the person passed in as parameter"""
print(f"Hello, {name}. How are you today?")
# Main program
if __name__ == "__main__":
user_name = input("What's your name? ")
greet(user_name)
# List comprehension example
squares = [x**2 for x in range(10)]
print(f"Squares of numbers 0-9: {squares}")