Question

Write a statement that declares a string variable named city. The variable should be inirialized so it references an object with the string "San Francisco".

Short answer

Answer: In Python, you can declare and initialize a string variable using the following syntax: `city = "San Francisco"`. This creates a variable named 'city' and assigns the value "San Francisco" to it.

Step-by-step solution

Declare and Initialize a String Variable

To declare and initialize a string variable, use the following syntax in Python: ```python city = "San Francisco" ``` This creates a variable named 'city', assigns the value "San Francisco" to it, and establishes a reference between the two.

Key concepts

Variable Declaration

In programming, one of the primary concepts you will encounter is variable declaration. Variables act as containers that store data values. To "declare" a variable means to announce to the system that you intend to use a particular name to hold some data.
There are rules to follow when declaring variables in programming:

• The variable name should be descriptive and indicative of the data it holds.
• It must start with a letter or an underscore, followed by letters, numbers, or underscores.
• Variable names in Python are case-sensitive, meaning `city` and `City` would be considered different variables.

By naming a variable appropriately, like `city`, it clearly indicates that this variable will store a city name, which makes your code easier to understand.

String Variable

A string variable is a type of variable that is used to store text. In Python, strings are sequences of characters and are enclosed within either single quotes (' ') or double quotes (" ").
Using a string variable allows you to hold non-numeric data within your program. When you declare a string variable and assign it a value, you create a reference to the string object in memory. For instance, assigning the string "San Francisco" to a variable called `city` establishes that connection.
String variables can be manipulated in numerous ways. Here are a few things you can perform on strings in Python:

• Concatenation: Joining two or more strings together using the `+` operator.
• Repetition: Repeating a string multiple times using the `*` operator.
• Indexing: Accessing specific characters in a string, where the index starts from zero.

Choosing when and how to use string variables is crucial to make your Python programs more effective.

Python Programming

Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its simplicity and readability. It is widely used because it allows developers to write less code to accomplish tasks compared to other programming languages.
One of Python's key features is its dynamic typing. This means that when you create a variable, you do not need to explicitly define its data type. The interpreter infers the type based on the value assigned to the variable. For example, when `city = "San Francisco"` is executed, Python understands `city` as a string just because a string value is assigned to it.
Additionally, Python's vast standard library and third-party modules make it suitable for varied applications, from web development to data science and automation. Learning Python programming involves understanding its syntax, incorporating best practices like naming conventions, and leveraging Python's extensive library to solve problems efficiently.
By mastering Python, you enhance your ability to create programs that are not only powerful but also easy to read and maintain.