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What is Python?

Python is one of the most popular and beginner-friendly programming languages in the world. It was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. Python is known for its clean, readable syntax that looks almost like plain English.

Python is named after the British comedy group 'Monty Python' — not the snake! Guido van Rossum was a fan and wanted a name that was short and fun.

Why Learn Python?

Python is Used Everywhere

An AI brain with neural network connections representing Python's use in artificial intelligence — Artificial Intelligence

A web browser showing a website built with Python frameworks — Web Development

A colorful data chart and graphs representing Python's use in data science — Data Science

A robot arm controlled by Python code — Robotics

Python in PictoBlox

In this course, we will write Python code using PictoBlox — the same platform you may have used for block coding. PictoBlox allows you to switch from blocks to Python, making it easy to transition from visual coding to real text-based programming.

PictoBlox interface showing the Python coding environment with a code editor on the left and the Stage on the right

Your First Python Program

The classic first program in any language is one that prints a message on the screen. In Python, this is done with the print() function.

print("Hello, World!")

Python console output showing Hello World printed in green text on a dark terminal background

When you run this code, Python will display the message Hello, World! on the screen. Simple, right? That's the beauty of Python — it takes just one line to get started!

Python Syntax Rules

Basic Python Syntax Rules

Rule	Example	Notes
Text strings must be in quotes	print("Hello")	Use single or double quotes
Python is case-sensitive	print vs Print	print() works, Print() does not
Indentation matters	code inside blocks must be indented	Use 4 spaces or 1 tab
Comments start with #	# This is a comment	Comments are ignored by Python

Diagram comparing correct and incorrect Python indentation with green checkmarks and red crosses showing how indentation defines code blocks

Unlike some other languages, Python does not use curly braces {} to group code. Instead, it uses indentation (spaces at the start of a line). Getting your indentation right is very important in Python!

Introduction to Python