Week 1 Lab: Python Setup & Basics

Today you’ll:

• Get started in Google Colab
• Run your first Python code
• Practice with:
  • print() statements
  • Python data types
  • Variables & comparison operators
• Build a simple event summary using what you’ve learned

Colab

Google Colab is a free, cloud-based tool that lets you run Python code in your browser. It requires no setup and is perfect for getting started.

1. Go to: https://colab.research.google.com/

2. Sign in with your Google account (you’ll need one).

3. Click on “New Notebook.”

4. In the cell that appears, type:

   print("Hello World")

5. Press Shift + Enter to run the cell.

Combining Text & Code

Colab is great but…

You’ll want to eventually install a local IDE

Lab Notebook

Open the lab notebook in Colab:

🍕 Pizza Math: Which Is a Better Deal?

We’re using:
💡 \(A = \pi \times r^2\) and π ≈ 3.14159

diameter_12 = 12
radius_12 = diameter_12 / 2
area_12 = 3.14159 * radius_12 ** 2
cost_12 = 8.00
cost_per_sqin_12 = cost_12 / area_12

print("12-inch cost per sq in:", round(cost_per_sqin_12, 4))

12-inch cost per sq in: 0.0707

diameter_15 = 15
radius_15 = diameter_15 / 2
area_15 = 3.14159 * radius_15 ** 2
cost_15 = 12.00
cost_per_sqin_15 = cost_15 / area_15

print("15-inch cost per sq in:", round(cost_per_sqin_15, 4))

15-inch cost per sq in: 0.0679

Final Exercise – Solution

# Step 1: Create variables
event_name = "Python for Everyone"
tickets_sold = 56
ticket_price = 10.50
revenue_goal = 600

# Step 2: Calculate total revenue
total_revenue = tickets_sold * ticket_price

# Step 3: Print summary report
print("The event \"" + event_name + "\" sold " + str(tickets_sold) + 
      " tickets at $" + str(ticket_price) + " each.")
print("Total revenue: $" + str(total_revenue))
print("Met or exceeded goal:", total_revenue >= revenue_goal)

The event "Python for Everyone" sold 56 tickets at $10.5 each.
Total revenue: $588.0
Met or exceeded goal: False

# Step 4: Optional stretch goal (conditional message)
if total_revenue >= revenue_goal:
    print("Yaaah! We met our goal!")
else:
    print("Booo! We missed our goal.")

Booo! We missed our goal.

🙋 End of Class – Questions or Thoughts?

Before we wrap up…

• ❓ What questions do you still have about:

  • Colab?
  • Python basics?
  • Variables or comparisons?

• 💬 What surprised you about writing code today?

• 🧠 What’s one thing you feel more confident about now?