Introduction to data structures and algorithms with python

James-Karanja — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 12:30:32 +0000

List
A list in python is a built-in data type which is used to store multiple items in a single variable. Lists are created using square brackets.
List items are ordered, changeable and allow duplicate values. List items are indexed; the first item has index 0 the second item has index 1.

Dictionaries
Dictionaries are used to store data values in Key:Value pairs. Dictionaries are ordered, changeable and do not allow duplicates.
Dictionaries are written with curly brackets and have keys and values.
Items in a dictionary can be referred to by using the key name.

Tuples
Tuples are used to store multiple items in a single variable. A tuple is one of four built-in data types in python used to store collections of data. A tuple is a collection which is ordered and unchangeable. A tuple is written with round brackets.
Tuples are ordered and changeable and allow duplicate values. Tuple items are indexed; the first item has index 0 the second item has index 1.

Sets
A set in python is another type of built-in data type. Sets are used to store multiple items in a single variable. A set is a collection which is ordered and changeable and indexed.
NB: Set items are unchangeable but you can remove items and add new items.
Sets are written with curly brackets.

Queues
A queue is a linear data structure which means that data elements are stored in a sequential manner. A queue uses a First In First Out (FIFO) method of storage that means the last recently added item is removed first. For example; in any queue of consumers for resources, the consumer that came first is served first.

*Stack *
A stack is another linear data structure that is very similar to a queue. It however follows the Last In Last Out (LIFO) method of storage; that is, the last item that goes in is the first item that goes out. An example of stack is when plates are arranged on a shelf. Stacks can be implemented in browsers where the last opened tab will be the top most item in the history.

Linked list
A linked list is a sequence of data elements, which are connected together via links. Each data element contains a connection to another data element in the form of a pointer. They are implemented using the node concept. A node object is created and then another class is created to use this node object. Appropriate values are passed through the node object to point to the next data elements.

Python 101: Introduction to Modern Python.

James-Karanja — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 10:13:21 +0000

What is Python

Python is a high-level programming language that is multipurpose, versatile and cross-platform; a Python program written on a Macintosh computer will run on a Linux system and vice-versa.
It is applicable pretty much anywhere that uses data and mathematical computation. It is also used in web development.

Development of Python programming

It was designed by Guido van Rossum in 1991 and developed by Python Software Foundation. It was mainly developed for emphasis on code readability, and its syntax allows programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code.

Figure: Guido van Rossum
History narrates that it was started firstly as a hobby project . It is said to have succeeded ABC Programming Language. Guido had already helped to create ABC earlier in his career and had seen some issues with ABC but liked most of the features. He took its syntax and some of its good features while fixing its issues completely, ending up creating a very good scripting language which had removed all the flaws.
Side-note: The 'Python' name isn't an abbreviation or acronym, but rather, simply the result of its creator, Guido van Rossum, being an avid Monty Python fan.
The language was finally released in 1991. It used a lot fewer codes to express the concepts, when we compare it with Java, C++ and C. In its design philosophy, its main objective is to provide code readability and advanced developer productivity. When it was released, it had more than enough capability to provide classes with inheritance, several core data types exception handling and functions.
Python 3.10.2 is the latest version. Its development has been in strides. It is the most popular coding language in the world having turned 30 recently.
For various purposes such as developing, scripting, generation and software testing, this language is utilized. Due to its elegance and simplicity, top technology organizations like Dropbox, Google, Quora, Mozilla, Hewlett-Packard, Qualcomm, IBM, and Cisco have implemented Python.
Python has been an inspiration for many other coding languages such as Ruby, Cobra, Boo, CoffeeScript ECMAScript, Groovy, Swift Go, OCaml, Julia etc.
Its major drawback has to be the length of time it takes to execute since it is an interpreted language and its dynamically typed.

Conclusion

Python remains a favorite of many developers. It is easily readable and maintainable; code resembles plain English. It supports both function-oriented and structure-oriented programming. It is also compatible with all popular operating systems and platforms. Python supports a large built-in library from which we can extract any feature to implement in the form of packages. Thus it enables one to implement a feature without writing excess code.
All this goes to show how attractive it is to learn, master and use Python in the modern programming universe.

DEV Community: James-Karanja

Introduction to data structures and algorithms with python

Python 101: Introduction to Modern Python.

What is Python

Development of Python programming

Conclusion