What this book covers

Chapter 1, Welcome! Let's Get Started, discusses Python and setting up a Python development environment on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

Chapter 2, Variables, Functions, and Users, covers Python data types and functions, as well as how to program Python to get information from the user, store that information, and use it later.

Chapter 3, Calculate This!, uses Python to make a calculator that has multiple mathematical functions. We also learn about working in our file structure and the proper way to save code files.

Chapter 4, Making Decisions – Python Control Flows, covers the use of if, elif, and else, as well as the use of for and while loops, in order to help create programs that make decisions based on user actions.

Chapter 5, Loops and Logic, builds upon what we have learned in the previous chapters and allows us to build a number guessing game. We will build easy and difficult versions of the game.

Chapter 6, Working with Data – Lists and Dictionaries, explains how to use lists and dictionaries to store data. The differences between lists and dictionaries are explained, and we spend time building small lists and dictionaries as well.

Chapter 7, What's in Your Backpack?, allows us to use functions, loops, logic, lists and dictionaries to build a different kind of guessing game. We will also learn about nesting dictionaries and lists.

Chapter 8, pygame, talks about a popular graphical library that is used in Python to make small games. We will learn the fundamental aspects of this library and experiment with some code.

Chapter 9, Tiny Tennis, this game is a clone of a popular game. We will re-create the game using all of the skills that we have learned throughout the book. This is the major project of the book.

Chapter 10, Keep Coding!, shows you all the opportunities that will arise once you read this book.

Appendix, Quick Task Answers, has the answers to all the quick task questions within the chapters.