The Basics of Programming: Python Made Simple

Learning how to code is an important skill in today’s digital world. From the apps on our phones to the websites we visit every day, programming plays a role in almost everything we interact with. One of the most beginner-friendly programming languages to start with is Python (yes, like the snake!). Python is widely used in web development, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Major companies such as Google, Netflix, and Instagram rely on Python in different parts of their systems, which shows just how powerful and flexible the language is. 

One of the main reasons Python is so popular is its simple, English-like syntax. Unlike some programming languages that require complicated formatting and symbols, Python focuses on readability. This makes it easier for beginners to understand what their code is actually doing. At the same time, Python is powerful enough for professional developers working on large-scale projects. Another reason for Python’s popularity is its versatility and accessibility. It runs on many different operating systems, including macOS, Windows, and Unix-based systems. It also has a massive collection of libraries and frameworks that allow developers to build everything from simple calculators to advanced AI models without starting from scratch. Although Python feels modern, it has been around for decades. It was created by Guido van Rossum, a programmer from the Netherlands. In 1989, while working at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, he began developing Python as a hobby project during the holidays. His goal was to design a language that was easy to read but still powerful. Python 1.0 was officially released in 1991 and over time, it grew into one of the most widely used programming languages in the world.

Although mastering python can take a while, this blog will share 5 basic commands to get your journey started. Make sure to download Python before starting this tutorial, you can go to python.org (click the link) for more details.

Print Command

Print command in PyCharm.

For the print command in your terminal type print(“hello byte blooms”). Not adding the parentheses or quotation marks - you can use double quotes “ or single quotes ‘ - will result in an error. The print function adds whatever text you put in the parentheses and quotations in the console tab. 

When printing numbers you do not use quotation marks, and when combining letters and integers, but the letters in quotes and integers without the quotation marks, remember to separate letters and integers with a comma.

Adding Comments

Comments in PyCharm.

Using comments is important when coding because it helps provide documentation. It also helps explain your code to someone who's never seen it before. Having comments keeps your coding organized and makes it easier to find issues if your code breaks. When creating a comment add a hashtag (#) before the comment; for example #Line 2 greets Byte Blooms readers. Comments will not appear when you run the program, they are just for you.

Variables

Variables in PyCharm.

Using variables is useful for storing different data values. You can save integers along with letters. You can print out each variable separately or print them together using the addition symbol. Variable names must start with a-z or A-Z, you can use underscores as well, they are case sensitive, and they cannot be Python keywords. Make sure your variable name is descriptive enough so you know what the variable contains, but not extremely long, and avoid spaces or special characters other than underscores.

Python Numbers

Numbers in PyCharm.

There are different numbers in Python, an integer and a float. An integer is a whole number (5) and a float is a decimal number (3.5). The type() command can tell you what type of number you have stored in the variable if you ever want to check; do print(type(variable_name)). 

Python Operators (Arithmetic)

Arithmetic in PyCharm.

In Python there are different operators that can do arithmetic functions.

• + is addition. This adds values together.

• - is subtraction. This subtracts values.

• * is multiplication. This multiples values together.

•  / is division. This divides values.

• % is modulus. This returns the remainder of a division calculation, rather than the quotient.

• ** is exponentiation. This raises one number (the base) to the power of another number (the exponent).

• // is floor division. This divides numbers and rounds the answer down to the largest whole number, it will be less than or equal to the quotient.

Floor division will give you a float and division will give you an integer (this is the biggest difference between the two divisions).

Python may seem simple at first, but the concepts you just learned — print statements, comments, variables, numbers, and operators — form the foundation of almost every program you will ever write. Every app, website, and AI tool starts with basic building blocks like these. Once you understand them, you can begin combining them to create more complex and powerful programs. The most important part of learning to code is not memorizing every command, but practicing consistently. Try modifying the examples, change the numbers, create your own variables, or experiment with different operators. Breaking things and fixing errors is part of the process. Python was designed to make programming more accessible, and now you have taken your first step into that world. More information about Python (commands & different projects) will come soon!

Sources

Information in this blog post was referenced from Amazon Web Services (https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/python/#what-is-the-history-of-python--1v6hpxe) overview of Python, W3Schools explanation of different Python commands (https://www.w3schools.com/python/python_operators_arithmetic.asp), and the official website of Python Software Foundation (https://www.python.org/about/). Program was run on PyCharm.