Foreword by Raymond Hettinger

Python Brain Teasers — by Miki Tebeka (8 / 40)

👈 One More Thing | TOC | Part 1 Python Brain Teasers 👉

In my Python conference talks, I frequently check in with the audience to ask, “Have you learned something new?” Getting a “yes” over and over again fills everyone with delight and tells us that our time is being well-spent. Miki’s collection of brain teasers will give you that immediate gratification, once per puzzle. Expect to have a lot fun with his stream of “aha!” moments.

Miki and I have worked together three times: once in a trading company, once at a web services company, and again as Python trainers. Working with him always gives you that “I learned something new” experience.

As trainers, we’ve found that a key skill is the ability to read code and to know, really know, what it does. With Miki’s well-chosen examples, you can rapidly learn this essential skill. He gives you an interesting code fragment, asks you to make a prediction, and then gently explains the outcome. As icing on the cake, he also provides links to authoritative references to deepen your knowledge.

Python is not a difficult language, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. It is easy to assume you know the language well when you really don’t. The Dunning-Kruger effect is pervasive in the Python world. Miki’s brain teasers will help you quickly discover what you don’t know, and his explanations will fill in the missing knowledge to build…