explain python variable

Welcome to Python! I'm excited to help you learn how variables work. Before we dive into the concepts and write some code, I'd love to know a bit about your background so I can tailor my examples for you.

What is your current experience level with programming, and what are you hoping to build or achieve with Python?

I'm a complete beginner, and I want to automate some boring tasks!

Automating boring tasks is the absolute best way to learn Python! We can start by writing scripts that handle repetitive work for us, like organizing files or sending emails.

Your path

Python Variable Naming Rules

Dynamic Typing and Reassignment

Working with Variables practically

What is a Variable?

When you write code to automate a task, your program needs a way to remember information. Think of a as a labeled storage box inside your computer's memory.

Suppose you are writing a script to automatically send a weekly email. You don't want to type the recipient's email address over and over again in your code. Instead, you can store it in a variable named email_recipient. Whenever your script needs to know where to send the message, it simply looks inside that labeled box.

A memory reference diagram showing the variable email_recipient pointing to the string value boss@company.com.

I've started generating a visual to help you picture how variables act as labeled boxes referencing data in your computer's memory.

Before we look at how to actually write these in Python, does this mental model of a labeled container make sense to you?