Looking at how Scratch and Python compare

Overview: Some questions that need answering
•Scratch is a good basic tool to get
visually pleasing animations running with
little working time.
•However we have to ask; "Who actually
made scratch?", "How was it made?".
•The programming world is much bigger
than Scratch. Real projects use a lot of
different languages working together -
And a lot of different people working
together.
•Are there other languages out there?

Basic differences between Scratch and Python
In Scratch each sprite has it's own code. Sprites interact
with each other through shared resources such as
variables and messages. This is often confusing and
leads to poorly maintainable code.
In Python each line of code is read by a Python
"Interpreter" and the computer executes the
instructions directly and in sequential order.

Basic differences between Scratch and Python
In Scratch each block is read in sequential order. The
code starts with an event or "Hat" block. Placing blocks
within outer "C" blocks is used to group blocks together.
Each sprite has its own set of blocks which may or may
not interact with each other.
In Python every line is read; line by line from top to
bottom, reading each line from left to right, evaluating
each statement in turn and if necessary assigning its
return value to a variable. Indentation groups
statements together.

Lets see how our familiar Scratch code looks in Python...

Variables
Scratch: In Python variables have to be given an initial value:

Arithmetic
Scratch:
In Python the modulus operator or "mod" is
symbolised by a "%" symbol. We use it to get the
remainder of a division

Random Numbers
Scratch: Python:
Random is a whole library of functions. 
We have so much more we can do with random numbers in Python than in Scratch!

Lists
Scratch: Python:
Let’s add some objects to our lists
or
Lists in Python start at index 0

Lists
Scratch: Python:
We can do so much more in Python than in Scratch. We can
sort the list, reverse the order of the list etc...

“But Python is boring. I want to make games in Scratch”
You can make games in Python. 
You could remake the entire Scratch interface using Python if you really wanted to. 
Here are some examples of some games that utilise the PyGame library. But you need to build up
your skill level and master the basics before you attempt large projects.

What else is Python used for?
Python is actually not used that often for making games as it has many "resource intensive" features. When used
correctly, you will rarely run into limitations with these features and they will in fact speed up how long it takes you to
write code! 
Python is often used for data analytics in the STEM community although this deﬁnitely not the only use for Python.. Some
common packages used by these communities include NumPy, SciPy and Matplotlib but there are MANY MORE... 
You can write your own library and share with the community...
This is why we use Python, it is highly extensible and has a massive user base.
It is a good general purpose programming language to learn!

Some famous services that utilise Python in
their code base

TIOBE index for various programming
languages in August 2017

Emily De La Peña
Founder of Coding Kids, Advance Queensland’s Community Digital Champion
codingkids.com.au
facebook.com/codingkidstutoring
@EmilyFdelaPena & @coding_kids
linkedin.com/in/emilydelapena/
@emily.f.delapena

Looking at how Scratch and Python compare

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