How to Create a Very Simple Program in Python

Co-authored by Kevin Burnett

Last Updated: February 24, 2025

Python is a simple yet powerful programming language to learn. It accommodates all levels of programmers from beginners to advanced programmers. Python is flexible and can work on available operating systems e.g., Mac, Windows, and Linux.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Kevin Burnett
Software Developer

Expert Interview} Have you learned about the bare basics of python but are confused on how to apply them? Well, this article shows you how to make a program that calculates your total days, minutes, and seconds you have been alive! It is a very simple program that demonstrates how some things work in this programming language. Note that this is for users who have a basic understanding of python.

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Expert Source

Kevin Burnett
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Expert Interview}
2
Start with an introductory sentence. So you have to use the print function. Type below codes:
```
print("Let's see how long you have lived in days, minutes and seconds.")
```
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3
Ask the user's name. It's nice to know what the user's name is, so type this in line 2:
- The variable "name" has now been replaced by the user's input.
4
Ask their age. You need to know the age, now you do the same thing as above except you have to use the "int" function, because the user will enter a number, like this:
- The variable "age" has now been replaced by the user's input.
5
Do the conversions using the user's given age.
- Once you have written this, Python automatically changes the values for days, minutes, and seconds, based on the user's input of age.
6
Display to the user his/her information.
you made a real program that serves a purpose! Save it and run it by going to 'run' and 'run module'.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Kevin Burnett
Software Developer

Expert Interview} Try it out for yourself!

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What do I do if I get errors while trying to create a simple program?

Community Answer

Try to check and read over your code. Are your variable names correct? Are there any misused brackets or symbols? Usually it will be highlighted if this is the case. If it is, try to figure out how to fix it the best you can.

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The program closes after I type my name and never shows me how many seconds I lived. I copied and pasted everything here. I am using Python 2.7 and can't get a newer version as I use Win XP. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Community Answer

Under python 2.7, 'input()' asks for an input to execute (a python statement). The exemple above is for python 3 which disable the direct execution of code via 'input()'. So, if you need the user to give you an input, use 'raw_input()' instead of 'input()'

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How do I write a comment?

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There are two ways to write a comment in python. A # is used for a one line comment. A """ is used for a multi line comment.

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