A Container for Data, Variables

In programming, a Variable acts as a container used to store data.

You can assign a name to data to store a value, and you can modify or reference the stored value as needed.

A variable is a name that points to a memory location where data or instructions are temporarily stored.

In Python, you don't need any special keywords (e.g., var, let) to declare a variable. Simply use a variable name and assign a value with the equals sign (=).

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my_variable = 10  # Assign 10 to the variable my_variable

name = "CodeFriends"  # Assign "CodeFriends" to the variable name

To declare a variable means to create it so it can be used in a program.

When declaring a variable, assigning a value to it is referred to as initialization.

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# Declare the variable my_var
my_var = 10 # Initialize by assigning 10

In Python, referencing a variable before assigning it a value will result in a NameError.

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# Attempt to declare a variable without initialization
x  # NameError: name 'x' is not defined

Therefore, when declaring a variable in Python, you must initialize it using the equals sign (=).

• Dynamic Typing: The data type (the form of data like text or numbers) of a variable is determined during the program's execution, and there's no need to pre-declare the variable type.

• Reassignable: You can change the value stored in a variable or reassign it with a value of a different type.

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number = 5       # Assign an integer (number)

number = "five"  # Reassign with a string (text)

Try assigning the string "hello" to the variable greeting.