Intro to Python

Welcome! Hi, future coder!

Python is a friendly programming language that helps you make games, apps, and smart tools. In this lesson, you'll write your first code, learn how Python thinks, and try a mini activity. No experience needed—just curiosity.

What you'll learn today

How to run your first Python program
Printing messages
Comments (notes in your code)
Variables (how computers remember things)
Basic math
Getting input from the user
Simple decisions with if/else

1) Run your first Python program

You can try these examples in any online Python editor or in IDLE (comes with Python). Type this and run it:

print("Hello, PyVerse!")

What happens: print tells Python to show text on the screen.

2) Comments: notes for humans

Comments explain your code. Python ignores them.

# This is a comment. Python skips this line.
print("Comments are cool!")  # You can comment after code too

3) Variables: storing information

Variables give names to data so you can use them later.

name = "Ava"       # a string (text)
age = 14           # an integer (whole number)
pi = 3.14          # a float (number with a decimal)

print(name)
print(age)
print(pi)

You can mix variables with text using f-strings:

name = "Ava"
age = 14
print(f"Hi {name}, next year you'll be {age + 1}.")

4) Math in Python

Python can do math like a calculator.

print(3 + 2)    # addition -> 5
print(10 - 4)   # subtraction -> 6
print(6 * 7)    # multiplication -> 42
print(8 / 2)    # division -> 4.0 (a float)
print(9 // 2)   # whole number division -> 4
print(9 % 2)    # remainder (modulo) -> 1
print(2 ** 3)   # power -> 8

5) Input: asking the user for data

input lets your program talk to people.

name = input("What is your name? ")
age_text = input("How old are you? ")
age = int(age_text)  # turn text into a number

print(f"Nice to meet you, {name}!")
print(f"In 5 years you will be {age + 5}.")

Tip: input gives you text. Use int(...) when you need a number.

6) Decisions with if/else

Make your program react to conditions.

number = int(input("Pick a number: "))

if number % 2 == 0:
    print("That number is even!")
else:
    print("That number is odd!")

Mini Activity: Emoji Repeater

Goal: Ask the user for an emoji (or any short text) and a number, then repeat it that many times.

Steps:

Ask for an emoji or word (like "⭐" or "Hi")
Ask for a number (how many times to repeat)
Print the result

Hints:

Use input to ask questions
Convert the number with int(...)
In Python, "text" * 3 repeats the text 3 times

Try it yourself first!

Example solution:

emoji = input("Enter an emoji or short word: ")
times = int(input("How many times should I repeat it? "))
print(emoji * times)

Common quick fixes

If you see ValueError when using int(...), you probably typed a word instead of a number. Try again with a number.
Python cares about exact spelling and punctuation. Check quotes " " and parentheses ( ).

Summary

Today you learned how to:

print messages
write comments
store data in variables
do basic math
get user input
make simple decisions with if/else

Keep experimenting! Change the numbers, messages, and conditions to see what happens. Every tiny program you write builds your Python superpowers.

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