Learn Python the Hard Way 5/e

Zed Shaw has created the world's most reliable system for learning Python. Follow it and you will succeed--just like the millions of beginners Zed has taught to date! You bring the discipline, persistence, and attention; the author supplies the masterful knowledge you need to succeed. In Learn Python the Hard Way, Fifth Edition, you'll learn Python by working through 60 lovingly crafted exercises. Read them. Type in the code. Run it. Fix your mistakes. Repeat. As you do, you'll learn how a computer works, how to solve problems, and how to enjoy programming . . . even when it's driving you crazy.

Features -

1. Total beginners with zero programming experience
2. Junior developers who know one or two languages
3. Returning professionals who haven't written code in years
4. Aspiring Data Scientists or academics who need to learn to code
5. Seasoned professionals looking for a fast, simple crash course in Python for Data Science

About the Author

Zed Shaw is an avid guitar player, programmer, and writer whose books teach people all over the world how to write software. His books Learn Python the Hard Way and Learn Ruby the Hard Way (both now in their third editions) have been read by millions of people around the world. His software has been used by many large and small companies. His essays are often quoted and read by members of many geek communities. An entertaining and lively writer, he will keep you laughing and make you think.

Contents -

Module 1: Getting Started in Python –

1. Gearing Up 1. A Good First Program 2. Comments and Pound Characters 3. Numbers and Math 4. Variables and Names 5. More Variables and Printing 6. Strings and Text 7. Combining Strings 8. Formatting Strings Manually 9. Multi-Line Strings 10. Escape Codes in Strings 11. Asking People Questions 12. An Easier Way to Prompt 13. Parameters, Unpacking, Variables 14. Prompting and Passing 15. Reading Files 16. Reading and Writing Files 17. More Files

Module 2: The Basics of Programming –

18. Names, Variables, Code, Functions 19. Functions and Variables 20. Functions and Files 21. Functions Can Return Something 22. Strings, Bytes, and Character Encodings 23. Introductory Lists 24. Introductory Dictionaries 25. Dictionaries and Functions 26. Dictionaries and Modules 27. The Five Simple Rules to the Game of Code 28. Memorizing Logic 29. Boolean Practice 30. What If 31. Else and If 32. Making Decisions 33. Loops and Lists 34. While Loops 35. Branches and Functions 36. Designing and Debugging 37. Symbol Review

Module 3: Applying What You Know –

38. Beyond Jupyter for Windows 39. Beyond Jupyter for macOS/Linux 40. Advanced Developer Tools 41. A Project Skeleton 42. Doing Things to Lists 43. Doing Things to Dictionaries 44. From Dictionaries to Objects 45. Basic Object-Oriented Programming 46. Inheritance and Advanced OOP 47. Basic Object-Oriented Analysis and Design 48. Inheritance versus Composition 49. You Make a Game 50. Automated Testing

Module 4: Python and Data Science –

51. What Is Data Munging? 52. Scraping Data from the Web 53. Getting Data from APIs 54. Data Conversion with pandas 55. How to Read Documentation (Featuring pandas) 56. Using Only pandas 57. The SQL Crash Course 58. SQL Normalization 59. SQL Relationships 60. Advice from an Even Older Programmer