About this Material#
Basic Python - A Guide for Beginners and University Students offers a comprehensive and well-structured introduction to Python programming, focusing on the needs of university students, researchers, and early-career professionals. Through a progressive and practical approach, the book guides readers from initial concepts to more advanced applications.
The chapters have been carefully organized to lead readers from writing their first code to creating data visualizations and handling errors. Along the way, essential topics such as data types, conditional structures, functions, and string manipulation are covered. A distinguishing feature of this work is its academic and scientific orientation, including topics focused on numerical computing and data analysis.
E-book Organization#
Chapter 1: Introduction to Python Programming
In this chapter, you will be introduced to the basic principles of computer programming and how Python programs work. Here, we will take the first steps, including writing your first code and understanding the fundamental structure of a program.
Chapter 2: Data Types and Conditional Structures
Here, you will learn about variables and the various data types available in Python, such as lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets. Understanding these concepts will be reinforced through practical exercises and intuitive examples.
Chapter 3: Operators and Expressions
In this chapter, we will explore different types of operators, such as arithmetic, logical, and comparison operators. Challenges will be presented that will allow you to develop your skills in a consistent and applied manner.
Chapter 4: Flow Control and Random Numbers
This chapter covers conditional and repetition structures, fundamental for controlling program execution flow. Additionally, you will be introduced to the use of random numbers, with activities that facilitate practical application of the concepts.
Chapter 5: Functions and Modularization
Here, you will learn about the concept of functions, from defining and using recursive functions to applying Python’s native functions. Furthermore, modularization principles will be presented, fundamental for better organizing your code. Carefully crafted exercises will help consolidate learning.
Chapter 6: String Manipulation
In this chapter, you will become familiar with operations performed on strings in Python, exploring methods, functions, and regular expressions. Practice with examples will reinforce mastery of this important resource.
Chapter 7: Numerical Computing and Data Visualization
In this chapter, you will be introduced to essential tools for scientific computing and data visualization, such as numerical calculations and creating graphs. The exercises in this chapter connect concepts to real applications, expanding your analytical capacity.
Chapter 8: Extra Content
In this final chapter, we address exception handling with try/except blocks. You will learn to handle execution errors robustly, ensuring your programs are more resilient and professional.
The other books#
This is the first of a series of four, and the prerequisite for the other three: whoever finishes here already has the Python they need. All three are open, at the same address, and can be read in whatever order makes sense to you.
Deep Learning - Teoria e Prática is the natural next step. It goes from artificial intelligence and machine learning to deep networks, computer vision and language models, and carries an appendix on PyTorch and TensorFlow. Chapter 7 here, on numerical computing and visualization, is exactly the ground it assumes. Written in Portuguese.
Computer Vision Course with Machine Learning deals with images from end to end: processing, vision architectures, detection, segmentation and generative models. Also available in Portuguese.
Matemática para ML (com Python) is the theory underneath the other two, and is still being written. Part One already covers numerical foundations, linear algebra, calculus, probability, information theory and optimisation, under a rule of its own: no formula appears without the code that confirms it numerically right below. Written in Portuguese.
This book also exists in Portuguese.
And the exercises of every chapter can be solved and checked in the Playground, which runs Python in your own browser, with nothing to install and no account needed.