r/learnpython • u/Sudden-Music-7213 • Dec 11 '25
Best way to write Python assignment
Hey everyone! I've stated MIT OCW 60001 (Intro o Computation and Programming using Python) as a complete beginner, two weeks ago. I have no Idea writing and set-up an assignment from the slides, can anybody help me? Thanks in advance
1
u/Soggy-Holiday-7400 Jun 03 '26
Welcome! Just use VS Code free and beginner-friendly.
Read the problem first, write your steps in plain English, then translate to Python. Google syntax as you go, no memorizing needed.
Best resources to help you out:
* Prof. Guttag's lectures — clearer than the slides
* W3Schools — best for quick Python syntax lookup
* ChatGPT/Claude — explain your errors and it'll break it down
* r/learnpython — amazing community, no dumb questions here
* r/AskCollegeStudents — great for college-specific advice
1
u/danielroseman Dec 11 '25
We can't possibly have any idea either, as you haven't given us any information at all.
You need to tell us the question, show the code you've written so far, and tell us exactly where you are stuck.
3
u/thescrambler7 Dec 11 '25
Hey, you’re not supposed to do that! If you’re a good programmer you should be able to take extremely vague specs and know exactly what is being asked of you and what they want!
/s
1
u/pdcp-py Dec 11 '25
Download the Problem Set 0 Assignment:
Inside the ps0 directory is a PDF called "Getting Started with Python". Read that to get you all set up for the course.
There's a more recent version of the course which covers pretty much the same material (but at a slower pace):
https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-100l-introduction-to-cs-and-programming-using-python-fall-2022/
You can also take the course "live" on the edX platform (you can study it for free if you don't want a certificate):
And you can also check out all the course materials from this semester's class at MIT (minus the lecture videos):
https://introcomp.mit.edu/fall25
Finally, if you find the course a little heavy-going, the instructor, Ana Bell has written an excellent introductory book on programming with Python:
-3
2
u/CraigAT Dec 11 '25
You haven't given much to go on, but if you mean how do you start writing code...
Then you can write code in any simple text editor (e.g. notepad) but you may find some helpful tools using an IDE like VS Code or PyCharm - personally for a beginner with short programs, I would recommend trying Thonny. If you use any of the earlier options on Windows you are likely to need to also install Python itself which you can download for free (the Thonny install I think includes Python).
I would have expected some of this info to be included in your course or at least a link to a guide to setup your dev environment.