Python Programming Python Fundamentals Syllabus

Python Fundamentals syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Python Fundamentals in Python Programming, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Introduction to Python

   4 topics

   • What Python Is and Where It Is Used
   • Installing Python and Setting Up the Environment
   • Running Your First Program
   • Comments and Code Readability
2. 2

   Variables, Data Types and Literals

   5 topics

   • Variables and Naming Rules
   • Numeric Types
   • Strings and Booleans
   • Type Conversion and Casting
   • Keywords and Reserved Words
3. 3

   Operators and Expressions

   5 topics

   • Arithmetic Operators
   • Comparison and Logical Operators
   • Assignment and Augmented Assignment
   • Bitwise Operators
   • Operator Precedence and Associativity
4. 4

   Input, Output and Formatting

   3 topics

   • Reading User Input with input()
   • String Formatting
   • Escape Sequences
5. 5

   Control Flow

   5 topics

   • Conditional Statements
   • while Loops
   • for Loops and range()
   • break, continue and else Clauses
   • The match Statement

Python Fundamentals flashcards for Python Programming

20 of 50 cards from the Python Fundamentals deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is Python, and what programming paradigms does it support?

   Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming language known for readable syntax and dynamic typing. It supports multiple paradigms: procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming.

2. Name at least four fields or use cases where Python is commonly applied.

   Web development, data science and machine learning, automation/scripting, scientific computing, and back-end/server development. (Also game development, testing, and DevOps.)

3. What does it mean that Python is an 'interpreted' language?

   Python code is executed line by line by an interpreter at runtime rather than being compiled to machine code ahead of time, which makes it portable and easy to test but generally slower than compiled languages.

4. Which command-line tool is used to install third-party Python packages, and from what repository?

   The 'pip' package manager installs packages from PyPI (the Python Package Index). Example: pip install requests.

5. How can you check the installed Python version from a terminal?

   Run python --version or python -V (on some systems python3 --version). It prints the currently active Python version, e.g., Python 3.12.0.

6. What is a virtual environment in Python, and why is it useful?

   A virtual environment is an isolated directory containing its own Python interpreter and packages, so each project can have independent dependencies. Created with python -m venv env_name; avoids version conflicts between projects.

7. What is the canonical first program in Python, and what function displays text?

   The classic first program prints "Hello, World!" using the built-in print() function: print("Hello, World!")

8. How do you run a Python script named script.py from the command line?

   Type python script.py (or python3 script.py) in the terminal from the directory containing the file.

9. What is the difference between running Python interactively (REPL) and running a script?

   The REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) executes statements immediately one at a time and shows results interactively; a script file runs all its code in sequence when invoked, without echoing expression results unless printed.

10. How do you write a single-line comment in Python?

    Begin the line with the hash symbol #. Everything after # on that line is ignored by the interpreter. Example: # this is a comment

11. Does Python have a dedicated multi-line comment syntax? How are multi-line comments typically written?

    Python has no dedicated multi-line comment syntax. Programmers either use multiple # lines, or a triple-quoted string (''' ... ''') which acts as an unassigned string literal, though technically it is a string, not a true comment.

12. What is a docstring, and where is it placed?

    A docstring is a string literal (usually triple-quoted) placed as the first statement inside a module, function, class, or method to document it. It is accessible via the object's __doc__ attribute.

13. Why is code readability emphasized in Python, and what document defines its style guidelines?

    Readability is core to Python's design philosophy ("readability counts"). The style guide is PEP 8, which recommends conventions like 4-space indentation, meaningful names, and line-length limits.

14. What is a variable in Python, and how is one created?

    A variable is a named reference to a value stored in memory. It is created by assignment using =, e.g., x = 5. No explicit type declaration is needed because Python is dynamically typed.

15. List the rules for valid Python identifier (variable) names.

    Names may contain letters, digits, and underscores; must not start with a digit; are case-sensitive; cannot be a reserved keyword; and cannot contain spaces or symbols like -, +, or @.

16. Which of these are valid variable names: 2cool, my_var, total-price, _hidden?

    Valid: my_var and _hidden. Invalid: 2cool (starts with a digit) and total-price (contains a hyphen).

17. What naming convention (case style) does PEP 8 recommend for variable and function names?

    snake_case: lowercase words separated by underscores, e.g., total_count. (Classes use CapWords/PascalCase; constants use UPPER_CASE.)

18. Name the three built-in numeric types in Python and give an example of each.

    int (integers, e.g., 42), float (floating-point numbers, e.g., 3.14), and complex (complex numbers, e.g., 2 + 3j).

19. What is the result and type of the expression $7 / 2$ in Python 3?

    The result is 3.5, and its type is float. The / operator always performs true division and returns a float in Python 3.

20. How do you get integer (floor) division and the remainder of $17$ divided by $5$?

    Floor division uses //: $17 // 5 = 3$. The remainder uses the modulo operator %: $17 \% 5 = 2$.

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