Summary

This subject explains core programming ideas through Python examples and exam-style revision notes.

Main themes

• Data types and collections
• Higher-order functions
• Core constructs such as conditionals, loops, and comprehensions
• Iteration and lazy evaluation through generators
• Anonymous functions and lambda calculus
• First-class functions and closures
• Type discipline and type hints
• Type inference in tools
• User-defined types
• Concrete types
• Recursion
• Operational semantics
• Shared behavior through protocols and duck typing
• Polymorphism and generic code

What to remember

• Python is flexible, but good structure still matters.
• Functions can be values.
• Type hints improve clarity even in a dynamically typed language.
• Custom types make programs easier to read and maintain.
• Recursion, generators, and polymorphism are reusable patterns, not isolated tricks.

Fast exam line

If you need one sentence for the whole subject, say:

Programming from First Principles teaches how Python programs are built from values, functions, types, control flow, recursion, and reusable abstractions.