SPEAKER: Python is a powerful coding language
that has become one of the preferred tools of data
professionals worldwide, and for good reason.
In this video, we'll explore what Python is
and why it has become so popular.
But first, let's discuss some basic elements of programming
languages in general.
Programming languages originated with the development
of electronic computers.
They were and still are the words and symbols
that we use to write instructions for computers
to follow.
Communicating with the computer ultimately
relies on computer hardware.
A transistor is the most fundamental component
of the computer because it controls
the flow of electricity through a circuit.
A transistor can exist in two states,
on or off, like a switch.
When a transistor is on, electricity passes through it.
When it's off, it blocks the electricity.
This duality defines how computers operate.
If you chain enough transistors together,
each either on or off, you can create complex logic.
So how does this relate to computer programming?
Well, because computers are just billions
of transistors or switches, they understand things
only in binary terms.
You may have encountered this concept before, binary.
Binary is represented as 1's and 0's.
These numbers are just an easier way
to refer to on and off sequences of transistors
when a computer receives instructions from a program.
Computers are powerful, but they still
need to be given instructions.
And they can only understand instructions
that are given in binary.
The engineers who first designed computers
encountered this and discovered a problem.
Computers are great at understanding binary.
Humans are not.
This problem is what gave rise to the first programming
languages.
The very first programming languages
were difficult to use, required lots of training,
and often only worked on the specific machine
that each was designed for.
These types of languages are known as low level languages.
Over time, new coding language was
developed to simplify and generalize
programming instructions.
The programming languages became easier
to learn because they were designed
with simpler rules and structures, known as syntax.
Modern programming languages use syntax that's
much more familiar to humans.
These languages are known as high level languages.
And this brings us back to Python.
Python is a high level language that's
versatile and easy to learn.
Simply put, Python is friendly.
In fact, some people might think that the name itself is scary.
But the creator of Python didn't name it after a giant snake.
He named it after a British comedy troupe, Monty Python,
because he wanted it to be easy and approachable.
In addition to Python being versatile and easy to learn,
it's also powerful.
This combination of qualities has made it a favorite
not only of data professionals, but of scientists and web
developers too.
Part of what makes it so powerful
is that it's open source.
And developers have created many libraries and tools
to make many jobs requiring Python easier.
A library is a reusable collection of code.
For instance, you could hand-code a function
that takes two numbers, adds them together,
and returns the sum.
But what if now you want to add three numbers or four?
You can write a more complex function that
lets you input any combination of numbers
and it will return the sum.
But summing is a super common task.
So you can save yourself a lot of time
by just using a math library that contains a sum function.
There are thousands of Python libraries
that contain code for tasks as simple as summing numbers
and as complex as building a neural network
for an artificial intelligence application.
The ease of learning, ease of use, versatility, and power
of Python make it one of the most used coding languages
today.
Because it's so widely used, it has a large and active
community of users who are willing to help and provide
support, which makes it a great coding language to discover
and explore.
As you move through this course and the entire certificate
program, always remember that coding is simple and complex.
In other words, each line of code
represents a small, simple idea, but together, those lines
of code can express very complex logic.
Coding can be frustrating at times, but also a lot of fun
and very rewarding.
We will practice coding a lot in this course
so you can get better and better.
Lastly, don't be afraid to make a mess.
Experimenting is part of the process.
And practicing will help you quickly
improve your coding skills.
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