Students will begin in Python by bridging between the basics of a programming language and interacting with the Internet in fun new ways. In technical terms, the parts of Python you'll learn are arithmetic, variables, values, and modules. At a higher level, we'll learn what an API is by playing with cat memes. But separate from the technical part of coding, there's the psychological part. Topic lectures will address the human side of code, and make you feel more prepared to see yourself as someone who codes. The demos are the most fun and accessible part of this course. You will find pointers to several more in the honors module of this course.
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Course 1 of 4 in the Python Basics for Online Research Specialization.
What You Will Learn
- Learn why it's worth learning to code and what an API is by dealing in the basic currency of the social Internet.
- Run "code notebooks" and discuss the psychological part of learning code to make you feel more prepared to see yourself as someone who codes.
- Apply the programming language Python and bridge between the basics of a programming language and interacting with the Internet in fun new ways.
- Using Python, you'll learn how to say one phrase in over 100 languages in Google Translate, and take simple phrases by translating them.
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Pictures of Kittens in Python
In this module, you'll learn why it's worth learning to code. One reason is that you can do interesting stuff, like detect kittens in photographs. We'll learn what an API is by dealing in the basic currency of the social Internet: cat memes. Let's get started!
WEEK 2
Code Notebooks
In this module, we will go over an elementary coding concepts and our basic platform. This lesson will be run in "code notebooks," a sort of interactive textbook that lets you read, run, and change working code examples. We will also look at the psychological part of learning code. Topic lectures will address the human side of code, and make you feel more prepared to see yourself as someone who codes.
WEEK 3
Python as a Calculator
In this module, we will get our first proper lesson in the programming language Python, the beginning of bridging between the basics of a programming language and interacting with the Internet in fun new ways. You'll experience the quirks and details of working with numbers in Python, by using it like a calculator; also using variables, like in a graphing calculator. All toward a simple demo in which we convert bike wheels between standard and metric measures.
WEEK 4
Course Summary & Honors: Interactive Demo
The main reason to take this course are the demos. In the honor's section demo you will use Python to treat Google Translate like a toy, learning how to say one phrase in over 100 languages, and also taking simple phrases and watching them change by translating them back and forth.
