reading-notes

Intro to Python

Learning Python Pain vs. Suffering

In the context of the reading “Pain and Suffering,” describe the main challenges faced by beginners when learning Python and suggest at least two strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

I think the main challenge faced by beginners when learning to develop including in Python would be understanding that the challenges of growth, though extremely difficult, are going to result in an improved understanding of development in the end and enable future growth. I personally struggled with this concept of recognizing these challenge as growth before I came Code Fellows and have now adapted by mindset to allow me to actually learn. Some strategies to overcome these obstacles are reminding oneself of the purpose of working through these challenges instead of avoiding them, this helps keep a positive perspective of the and provides motivation to overcome obstacles. Another strategy is to use research as a tool to solve obstacles, when faced with obstacles that are initially insurmountable using research to learn more about them and other approaches to overcome them allows us to keep moving forward.

Big O Notation

After reading “Beginners Guide to Big O,” explain the concept of time complexity and space complexity.

Time Complexity: This concept is used to describe how much time an algorithm will take to process when given input. With regards to Big O notation, this is looking at how much time is required for the worst case scenario that an algorithm can be expected to encounter and understanding if larger or different inputs require different amounts of time.
Space Complexity: This concept is used to describe the amount of space an algorithm needs, in computer science this is usually memory. Again looking at the worst case scenario from Big O notation, this describes how different sizes or types of inputs could require more space by the algorithm to produce output and how the space required scales based on the input.

Names and Values in Python

Based on the “Names and Values in Python” reading, explain the difference between mutable and immutable data types in Python.

Mutable:

lists, dictionaries
Changes are mutating

Immutable:

ints, floats, strings, and tuples values can’t be changed
Changes are rebinding

Things I want to know more about

How to define time complexity with Big O notation and how commonly is this notation used
Differences and similarities between Python and JavaScript variables