In this part of the series, we’ll dive into three essential Python concepts:
- Variables and data types
- Getting input from users
- Displaying and formatting output
Plus, we’ll show you how to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT to help practice and learn more effectively.
🧠 What Are Variables?
Variables are like labeled containers for storing data. In Python, you don’t need to declare the type — it figures it out for you.
name = "Alice"
age = 25
is_student = True
You’ve just created:
- A string (
"Alice") - An integer (
25) - A boolean (
True)
🧪 Try It Yourself:
Open your editor or Replit and write:
name = input("What is your name? ")
age = input("How old are you? ")
print("Hello, " + name + "! You are " + age + " years old.")
💡 Note: Everything from input() comes in as a string. If you need it as a number, use int() or float().
🔢 Common Data Types
| Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
int | 42 | Whole numbers |
float | 3.14 | Decimal numbers |
str | "hello" | Text |
bool | True / False | Boolean values |
You can check the type of any variable:
print(type(age))
🧠 AI Tip: Use ChatGPT to Generate Practice Problems
Ask ChatGPT:
“Give me 5 beginner Python exercises to practice using
input(),print(), and variables.”
You’ll get instant, tailored practice questions — no need to search through outdated forums.
🔤 String Formatting (Make Your Output Look Good)
Instead of this:
print("Hello, " + name + "! You are " + age + " years old.")
Try this with f-strings (recommended in Python 3.6+):
print(f"Hello, {name}! You are {age} years old.")
Cleaner and easier to read!
🔍 AI Debugging Tip
Stuck on an error? Copy your code and ask ChatGPT:
“Why am I getting this error in my Python code?”
You’ll get an explanation — often with a corrected version of your code.
🧰 Free Tools to Reinforce What You’ve Learned
- 🔗 Python Variables – W3Schools
- 🔗 Python Input/Output Tutorial – Real Python
- 🔗 ChatGPT: Practice by having it quiz you or explain concepts interactively
🎯 Practice Challenge
Write a Python script that:
- Asks the user for their name and birth year
- Calculates their age (assume the current year is 2025)
- Prints a friendly message with their name and age
Bonus: Ask ChatGPT to review your script and suggest improvements.
🏁 Coming Up in Part 3…
We’ll tackle conditional logic using if, elif, and else. You’ll learn how Python makes decisions — and how AI can help generate logic puzzles and real-world decision-making scenarios.