Further Reading — Chapter 3: Python Basics

Official Documentation

Python Built-in Types docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html The authoritative reference for all Python built-in types, including the full list of string methods. More technical than needed for this chapter, but invaluable as a reference.

Python Numeric Types docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#numeric-types-int-float-complex Detailed explanation of int, float, and their operations.

decimal — Decimal fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic docs.python.org/3/library/decimal.html The standard library module for exact decimal arithmetic. Read this before Chapter 29 (Financial Modeling).

Tutorials

"Python Variables" — Real Python realpython.com/python-variables/ Thorough treatment of variable naming, assignment, and Python's object model.

"Basic Data Types in Python" — Real Python realpython.com/python-data-types/ Covers the material from this chapter in more depth, including more edge cases and the complex type.

"Python f-strings" — Real Python realpython.com/python-f-strings/ Complete guide to f-string formatting. The format specification mini-language is more powerful than what's covered in this chapter.

"String Methods in Python" — Python Docs Tutorial A good complement to Section 3.5 — covers the full set of string methods with examples.

Reference Cards

Python String Formatting Reference pyformat.info Interactive comparison of old-style % formatting, .format(), and f-strings. Very useful when you're learning what format specs produce what output.

Python Operator Precedence Table docs.python.org/3/reference/expressions.html#operator-precedence The definitive precedence table when you're unsure about order of operations.

Financial Computing

"Why Floating Point is Hard" — David Goldberg Classic technical paper explaining binary floating-point. Not required reading, but explains the fundamental reason why 0.1 + 0.2 ≠ 0.3.

Python decimal module — Tutorial docs.python.org/3/library/decimal.html#quick-start-tutorial The official tutorial for exact decimal arithmetic — essential for Chapter 29.

Links verified at time of publication.