Introduction to Programming in Python

Programming is a powerful tool for manipulating data because it gives you the ability to build your own custom tools for tackling non standard problems. Much of the content in this book will make use of the Python programming language, so in this chapter, I will give a brief introduction to programming in python. The chapter will include the following topics:

• External resources
• Logistical overview
• Running programs in Python
• Data types, variables, and the Python shell
• Compound statements
• Making comments within programs
• A programmer's resources

If you are familiar with Python and general programming principals, you can comfortably skip ahead or skim through this chapter.