Beginner 40 min

Module 02 — Print, Variables & Basic Output

Talking back to the screen, storing values with names, and Python's core data types.

Prerequisite: Module 01 — Introduction & Setup

After this lesson, you will be able to

Use print() with multiple values, separators, and escape sequences
Create and update variables, and understand Python's naming rules
Use Python as a calculator with +, -, *, /, //, %, **
Identify a value's type using type()

Concept & Syntax

print() is how a Python program talks to the outside world. A variable is a named box in your computer's memory that holds a value — think of it as a sticky note with a name on it, stuck to a piece of data. Once you understand these two things, you can already build something that computes and reports results, which is the heart of programming.

Variables matter because programs need to remember things between steps: a user's age, a running total, a game score. Without a name for a value, you'd have no way to refer back to it later in your code.

Syntax

variable_name = value
print(value1, value2, sep=", ", end="\n")

Examples

print() with several values Very Easy

print() with several values

print("Score:", 95, "/", 100)

OutputScore: 95 / 100

print() accepts any number of items separated by commas and automatically puts a space between them.

Escape sequences Easy

Escape sequences

print("She said, \"Python is fun!\"")
print("Line one\nLine two")
print("Tab\tSeparated")

OutputShe said, "Python is fun!" Line one Line two Tab Separated

A backslash before a character gives it special meaning: \" is a literal quote, \n is a new line, and \t is a tab.

Raw strings and emoji Intermediate

Raw strings and emoji

path = r"C:\Users\name\Documents"
print(path)
print("Python is fun 🐍")

OutputC:\Users\name\Documents Python is fun 🐍

Prefixing a string with r makes it a raw string, so backslashes are treated literally — essential for Windows file paths. Emoji are just Unicode characters and print like any other text.

Python as a calculator Easy

Python as a calculator

print(7 + 3)
print(7 - 3)
print(7 * 3)
print(7 / 3)
print(7 // 3)
print(7 % 3)
print(7 ** 2)

Output10 4 21 2.3333333333333335 2 1 49

/ always gives a decimal result, // gives the whole-number (floor) division, % gives the remainder, and ** raises to a power.

Variables and type() Real World

Variables and type()

age = 25
price = 19.99
name = "Maria"
is_member = True
print(type(age), type(price), type(name), type(is_member))

Output<class 'int'> <class 'float'> <class 'str'> <class 'bool'>

Python figures out a value's type automatically. The four basics here are integers, floating-point numbers, strings (text), and booleans (True/False).

Visual Explanation

A variable is a name pointing at a value stored in memory.

🔍 What happens internally? (advanced)

Under the hood, Python compiles your source into bytecode and runs it on a virtual machine (the CPython interpreter). Variables are names in a namespace dictionary pointing at objects in memory — which is exactly what the memory panel in the tracer above is showing you.

See variables appear in memory as each line runs

Use the controls below to run this example one line at a time and watch the interpreter's memory update live.

Code

x = 10
y = 20
result = x + y
print(result)

Interpreter state

Console output

Speed

Common Mistakes

✗ Common mistake 1

Variable names in Python must start with a letter or underscore, contain no spaces, and can't be a reserved word like <code>print</code> or <code>class</code>.

✗ Avoid this

This raises SyntaxError

2nd_place = "Silver"
my variable = 5

✓ Better approach

Fixed

second_place = "Silver"
my_variable = 5

✗ Common mistake 2

Forgetting quotes around text makes Python think you're referring to a variable that doesn't exist yet.

✗ Avoid this

This raises NameError: name 'Hello' is not defined

print(Hello)

✓ Better approach

Fixed

print("Hello")

✓ Best practices

Use snake_case for variable names: total_price, not TotalPrice.
Pick descriptive names — age beats a once code gets longer than a few lines.
Use raw strings (r"...") for Windows file paths and regular expressions.
Check a value's type with type() whenever a bug looks type-related.

Exercise & Challenge

Exercise 1 — Fill in the blank

Given this code

count = 42
____________________

Complete the line so that it prints exactly: Total: 42 apples (with the word "Total:", a space, the number, a space, and "apples"). Type only the missing print() call.

🏆 Challenge

Write a program that stores the price of an item and a quantity in two variables, then prints the total cost formatted to two decimal places.

Use variables named price and quantity
Compute total = price * quantity
Print something like 'Total: $59.97'

💡 Need a hint?

You can round with round(total, 2), or format with an f-string like f"{total:.2f}".

🔍 Show a sample solution

Python

price = 19.99
quantity = 3
total = price * quantity
print(f"Total: ${total:.2f}")

Quiz

Answer every question, then submit to see your score and explanations.

1. What does 7 // 3 evaluate to in Python?

2.33

// is floor (whole-number) division, so 7 // 3 is 2.

2. Which escape sequence inserts a new line inside a string?

\n represents a newline character.

3. Which of these is a valid Python variable name?

2nd_place

my-variable

_score

class

Names can start with an underscore or letter; hyphens aren't allowed and 'class' is a reserved keyword.

4. What type does type(19.99) report?

int

str

float

bool

Numbers with a decimal point are floats.

5. What does a raw string like r"C:\Users" do?

Converts text to uppercase

Treats backslashes as literal characters, not escape codes

Removes all spaces

Runs the string as code

The r prefix disables escape-sequence processing, which is handy for Windows paths.

Summary

print() displays one or more values, automatically spacing and newlining them.
Variables are names pointing at values; naming rules matter (no spaces, no reserved words).
Python's core math operators include //, %, and ** alongside the familiar +, -, *, /.
type() tells you exactly what kind of value you're working with.

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