We geeks love puzzles and solving them. The Python programming language is a simple one, but like all other languages it has quirks. This book uses those quirks as teaching opportunities via 30 simple Python programs that challenge your understanding of Python. The teasers will help you avoid mistakes, see gaps in your knowledge, and become better at what you do. Use these teasers to impress your co-workers or just to pass the time in those boring meetings. Teasers are fun!
At the beginning of each chapter I'll show you a short Python program and will ask you to guess the output. The possible answers can be:
- Syntax error
- Exception
- Hang
- Some output (e.g. `[ 1 2 3]`)
Here's how to approach the puzzles. Read through the code. Before moving on to the answer and the explanation, go ahead and guess the output. After guessing the output, run the code and see the output yourself. Finally proceed to read the solution and the explanation. The puzzles are short enough to solve on a coffee break, so carry them with you, have fun, and share them with co-workers.
People who make mistakes during the learning process learn better than people who don't. If you use this approach at work when fixing bugs, you'll find you enjoy bug hunting more and become a better developer after each bug you fix.
Many of these puzzles are from the author's lessons learned (and others) of shipping bugs to production. He often uses the puzzles as quizzes during conferences and meetups, and they tend to create a buzz of excitement.
What You Need:
| Acknowledgments |
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ix | |
| Preface |
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xi | |
| Foreword |
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xv | |
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Part I Python Brain Teasers |
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Puzzle 1 Ready Player One |
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3 | (4) |
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7 | (2) |
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9 | (4) |
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13 | (2) |
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Puzzle 5 Send It to the Printer |
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15 | (2) |
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Puzzle 6 Spam, Spam, Spam |
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17 | (2) |
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Puzzle 7 User! Identify Yourself |
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19 | (2) |
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Puzzle 8 Sorted? Reversed? |
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21 | (2) |
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23 | (4) |
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27 | (2) |
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Puzzle 11 Click the Button |
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29 | (4) |
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Puzzle 12 Attention Seeker |
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33 | (4) |
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Puzzle 13 Identity Crisis |
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37 | (2) |
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Puzzle 14 The Great Divide |
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39 | (2) |
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41 | (2) |
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43 | (4) |
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47 | (2) |
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Puzzle 18 Round and Round We Go |
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49 | (2) |
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Puzzle 19 TF (Without IDF) |
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51 | (2) |
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53 | (4) |
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Puzzle 21 Tell Me the Future |
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57 | (2) |
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59 | (4) |
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Puzzle 23 Path to Nowhere |
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63 | (2) |
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65 | (4) |
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Puzzle 25 Look at the Pretty Colors |
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69 | (4) |
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73 | (2) |
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75 | (4) |
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Puzzle 28 Here Kitty Kitty |
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79 | (4) |
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83 | (4) |
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87 | (4) |
| Index |
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91 | |
Miki has a passion for teaching and mentoring. He teaches many workshops on various technical subjects all over the world and also mentored many young developers on their way to success. Miki is involved in open source, has several projects of his own, and contributed to several more - including the Python project. He has been using Python for more than 23 years.
