Understanding Python Statements

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If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already got the basics of Python down pat variables, data types, loops, all that jazz. But have you ever wondered what exactly is going on when you write a statement in Python?

To start: syntax. In Python (and most programming languages), statements are made up of keywords and expressions that tell the computer what to do. For example, this is a simple statement in Python:

# This is a simple statement in Python that assigns the value of 5 to the variable x
x = 5

This statement assigns the value `5` to a variable called `x`. Pretty straightforward, right? But let’s break it down even further. The keyword here is `=`, which tells Python that we want to assign something (in this case, the number `5`) to a variable. And then there’s the expression `5`, which is just a literal value in Python.

Now let’s look at another statement:

# This script checks if the value of x is greater than 10 and prints a message if it is.

# Assigning the value of 5 to the variable x
x = 5

# Checking if the value of x is greater than 10
if x > 10:
    # If the condition is true, print the message
    print("x is greater than 10")

This one might be a bit more confusing, but it’s still pretty straightforward once you break it down. The keyword here is `if`, which tells Python that we want to execute some code if a certain condition is true (in this case, whether the value of `x` is greater than 10). And then there are two expressions: `x > 10` and `print(“x is greater than 10”)`. The first expression checks whether the value of `x` is greater than 10. If it is, Python will execute the second expression (which prints a message to the console).

That’s how statements work in Python. Pretty simple, right? Of course, this is just scratching the surface there are all sorts of other keywords and expressions that can be used to make more complex statements. But hopefully this gives you a good starting point for understanding what’s going on under the hood when you write code in Python!

Now go out there and start writing some awesome, syntax-heavy Python statements!

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