Types and variables in C are the first real shock when you move from Python to C in IC2. In Python you wrote x = 5 and Python figured everything out. In C you have to declare the type, the size and the format specifier for every variable, and if you get any of them…
Basic Linux commands are the first practical skill you need in IC2. You’ve set up Fedora in VirtualBox and understood what the terminal is, now it’s time to actually use it. This article covers the commands you’ll type every single day: navigating directories, creating folders, copying and moving files, and the ones that can delete…
Python functions are the tool that transforms messy code into organised, reusable code. Until now every program you wrote was a sequence of instructions that ran from top to bottom, once. Functions let you name a block of code and reuse it whenever you need it, without copying and pasting. This is one of the…
Python loops for and while give your code the ability to repeat itself. Without loops you’d have to write the same instruction a hundred times to do something a hundred times. With loops, three lines. It’s one of the most important concepts in FP1 and also one of the most confusing at first — especially…
Python conditionals if elif else are the first tool that gives your code intelligence. Until now your programs executed every line in order, top to bottom, making no decisions. With conditionals you can make Python execute certain instructions or others depending on whether a condition is met. It’s the leap from “program that calculates” to…
If you’re already comfortable with variables and data types, the next natural step is Python operators. They’re the tools that let you perform calculations, compare values and make decisions in your code. In this article we cover every type of Python operators you need in your first year, with the three mistakes I saw most…
Variables and data types in Python were one of the first things that confused me when I started my Data Science and Engineering degree. In Python you just write x = 5 and you have a variable. No type declaration. No telling the computer what kind of value it is. Coming from zero programming experience,…