Are you just starting your journey with Python and wondering how to store information? You’ve come to the right place! In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to use variables to hold data and perform calculations with basic math operators. Understanding these core concepts is the first major step to becoming a confident programmer.
✨ What Exactly is a Variable?
Think of a variable as a named container in your computer’s memory where you can store a value. You create one using an assignment statement. This involves giving your variable a name, followed by an equals sign (=), and then the value you want to store. For example, x = 5 creates a variable named ‘x’ and stores the number 5 in it. Variable names must start with a letter or an underscore, and can be followed by any mix of letters, numbers, or underscores.
🔢 The Essential Math Operators in Python
Once you have variables, you can perform calculations using them. Python provides all the familiar mathematical operators, including addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), and even exponentiation (**) for powers. For instance, after setting x = 5, you could write y = 1 + x ** 2. Python respects the order of operations, so it calculates the exponent first (5*5=25) and then adds 1, storing the final value of 26 in the variable ‘y’.
💡 Understanding More Advanced Operators
Python also offers a couple of other handy operators for division. Floor division (//) gives you the result of a division while discarding the remainder, essentially rounding down to the nearest whole number. The modulo operator (%) does the opposite: it gives you only the remainder of a division. These are incredibly useful for tasks like checking if a number is even or odd. For example, 10 % 2 would result in 0, because there is no remainder.
By mastering variables and these operators, you’ve built the foundation for writing almost any kind of calculation-based program. The key is to practice by creating your own variables and combining them in different ways to see what you can build!
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Stephenson, Ben. The Python Workbook: A Brief Introduction with Exercises and Solutions. 3rd ed., Springer, 2025.
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