Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language known for its emphasis on code readability through significant indentation. It supports multiple programming paradigms, including procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming. Python is dynamically typed and garbage-collected, and it comes with a comprehensive standard library, often described as a "batteries included" language3.
Created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991, Python has evolved through major versions, with Python 3 being the current major version. It is widely used in web development, software development, system scripting, mathematics, big data, and machine learning35.
Python features include:
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Simple, English-like syntax that allows developers to write fewer lines of code.
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Use of indentation to define code blocks instead of braces or semicolons.
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Support for list comprehensions, generator expressions, and lambda functions.
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Strong typing with duck typing, allowing flexible but safe operations.
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Extensive support for string formatting, slicing, and sequence unpacking.
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Optional type annotations for better code clarity and external type checking tools3.
The reference implementation of Python, CPython, compiles Python code into bytecode executed by a virtual machine. It is written in C and available on many platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux3.
Python can be learned and used interactively via online compilers, text editors, or integrated development environments (IDEs) such as Thonny, PyCharm, or Eclipse45.
In summary, Python is a versatile, easy-to-learn language that supports rapid development and is popular across many domains including web applications, data science, and automation125.
- Teacher: Admin User