Python Terms and Definitions

Argument: Information given to a function in its parentheses.

Assignment: The process of storing a value in a variable.

Attribute: A value associated with an object or class which is referenced by name using dot notation.

Cells: The modular code input and output fields into which Jupyter Notebooks are partitioned.

Class: An object’s data type that bundles data and functionality together.

Computer programming: The process of giving instructions to a computer to perform an action or set of actions.

Data type: An attribute that describes a piece of data based on its values, its programming language, or the operations it can perform.

Dot notation: How to access the methods and attributes that belong to an instance of a class.

Dynamic typing: Variables that can point to objects of any data type.

Explicit conversion: The process of converting a data type of an object to a required data type.

Expression: A combination of numbers, symbols, or other variables that produce a result when evaluated.

Float: A data type that represents numbers that contain decimals.

Immutable data type: A data type in which the values can never be altered or updated.

Implicit conversion: The process Python uses to automatically convert one data type to another without user involvement.

Integer: A data type used to represent whole numbers without fractions.

Jupyter Notebook: An open-source web application for creating and sharing documents containing live code, mathematical formulas, visualizations, and text.

Keyword: A special word in a programming language that is reserved for a specific purpose and that can only be used for that purpose.

Markdown: A markup language that lets the user write formatted text in a coding environment or plain-text editor.

Method: A function that belongs to a class and typically performs an action or operation.

Naming conventions: Consistent guidelines that describe the content, creation date, and version of a file in its name.

Naming restrictions: Rules built into the syntax of a programming language.

Object: An instance of a class; a fundamental building block of Python.

Object-oriented programming: A programming system that is based around objects that can contain both data and code that manipulates that data.

Programming languages: The words and symbols used to write instructions for computers to follow.

String: A sequence of characters and punctuation that contains textual information.

Syntax: The structure of code words, symbols, placement, and punctuation.

Typecasting: Converting data from one type to another (see Explicit conversion).

Variable: A named container that stores values in a reserved location in the computer’s memory.