Python Data Structures

About this course: This course will introduce the core data structures of the Python programming language. We will move past the basics of procedural programming and explore how we can use the Python built-in data structures such as lists, dictionaries, and tuples to perform increasingly complex data analysis. This course will cover Chapters 6-10 of the textbook “Python for Everybody”. This course covers Python 3.

Created by:  University of Michigan

• Taught by:  Charles Severance, Associate Professor

  School of Information

Basic Info Course 2 of 5 in the Python for Everybody Specialization Commitment 2-4 hours/week Language English, Subtitles: Chinese (Simplified) How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.8 stars Average User Rating 4.8See what learners said Coursework

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Syllabus


WEEK 1


Chapter Six: Strings



In this class, we pick up where we left off in the previous class, starting in Chapter 6 of the textbook and covering Strings and moving into data structures. The second week of this class is dedicated to getting Python installed if you want to actually run the applications on your desktop or laptop. If you choose not to install Python, you can just skip to the third week and get a head start.


7 videos, 5 readings expand

1. Video: Video Welcome - Dr. Chuck
2. Reading: Reading: Welcome to Python Data Structures
3. Reading: Textbook
4. Reading: Welcome to Python 3
5. Reading: Submitting Assignments
6. Video: 6.1 - Strings
7. Video: 6.2 - Manipulating Strings
8. Video: Worked Exercise: 6.5
9. Video: Bonus: Office Hours New York City
10. Video: Bonus: Monash Museum of Computing History
11. Video: Fun: The Textbook Authors Meet @PyCon
12. Reading: Audio Versions of All Lectures

Graded: Chapter 6 Quiz
Graded: Assignment 6.5

WEEK 2


Unit: Installing and Using Python



In this module you will set things up so you can write Python programs. We do not require installation of Python for this class. You can write and test Python programs in the browser using the "Python Code Playground" in this lesson. Please read the "Using Python in this Class" material for details.


5 videos, 2 readings expand

1. Reading: Important Reading: Using Python in this Class
2. Reading: Notes on Choice of Text Editor
3. Video: Demonstration: Using the Python Playground
4. LTI Item: Python Code Playground
5. Video: Windows 10: Installing Python and Writing A Program
6. Video: Windows: Taking Screen Shots
7. Video: Macintosh: Using Python and Writing A Program
8. Video: Macintosh: Taking Screen Shots
9. Peer Review: Optional- Installing Python Screen Shots

WEEK 3


Chapter Seven: Files



Up to now, we have been working with data that is read from the user or data in constants. But real programs process much larger amounts of data by reading and writing files on the secondary storage on your computer. In this chapter we start to write our first programs that read, scan, and process real data.


5 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: 7.1 - Files
2. Video: 7.2 - Processing Files
3. Video: Demonstration: Worked Exercise 7.1
4. Reading: Where is the 7.2 worked exercise?
5. Video: Bonus: Office Hours Barcelona
6. Video: Bonus: Gordon Bell - Building Blocks of Computing

Graded: Chapter 7 Quiz
Graded: Assignment 7.1
Graded: Assignment 7.2

WEEK 4


Chapter Eight: Lists



As we want to solve more complex problems in Python, we need more powerful variables. Up to now we have been using simple variables to store numbers or strings where we have a single value in a variable. Starting with lists we will store many values in a single variable using an indexing scheme to store, organize, and retrieve different values from within a single variable. We call these multi-valued variables "collections" or "data structures".


7 videos expand

1. Video: 8.1 - Lists
2. Video: 8.2 - Manipulating Lists
3. Video: 8.3 - Lists and Strings
4. Video: Fun: Python Lists in Paris
5. Video: Worked Exercise: Lists
6. Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Chicago
7. Video: Bonus: Rasmus Lerdorf - Inventing the PHP Language

Graded: Chapter 8 Quiz
Graded: Assignment 8.4
Graded: Assignment 8.5

WEEK 5


Chapter Nine: Dictionaries
The Python dictionary is one of its most powerful data structures. Instead of representing values in a linear list, dictionaries store data as key / value pairs. Using key / value pairs gives us a simple in-memory "database" in a single Python variable.


7 videos expand

1. Video: 9.1 - Dictionaries
2. Video: 9.2 - Counting with Dictionaries
3. Video: 9.3 - Dictionaries and Files
4. Video: Worked Exercise: Dictionaries
5. Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Amsterdam
6. Video: Bonus: Brendan Eich - Inventing Javascript
7. Video: Fun: Dr. Chuck Goes Motocross Racing

Graded: Chapter 9 Quiz
Graded: Assignment 9.4

WEEK 6


Chapter Ten: Tuples
Tuples are our third and final basic Python data structure. Tuples are a simple version of lists. We often use tuples in conjunction with dictionaries to accomplish multi-step tasks like sorting or looping through all of the data in a dictionary.


6 videos expand

1. Video: 10 - Tuples
2. Video: Worked Exercise: Tuples and Sorting
3. Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Puebla, Mexico
4. Video: Bonus: John Resig - Inventing JQuery
5. Video: Douglas Crockford: JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)
6. Video: Fun: The Greatest Taco in the World

Graded: Chapter 10 Quiz
Graded: Assignment 10.2

WEEK 7


Graduation
To celebrate your making it to the halfway point in our Python for Everybody Specialization, we welcome you to attend our online graduation ceremony. It is not very long, and it features a Commencement speaker and very short commencement speech.


1 video, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Graduation Ceremony
2. Reading: Please Rate this Course on Class-Central