Python Foundations: Project RoboForge

Learn Creating variables

robot_name = "VX-9"        # str  — text (a string)
battery = 87                # int  — whole number
top_speed = 14.5            # float — decimal number
is_active = True            # bool — True or False

• str = string — text data: letters, words and symbols wrapped in quote marks.
• int = integer — a whole number, positive or negative, with no decimal point.
• float = floating point value — a number that can hold a decimal point.
• bool = boolean — a value that can only ever be True or False.

Naming rules for this class: use snake_case (lowercase words joined with underscores), start with a letter, and choose names that describe the value. battery_level beats b every time.

Predict What will each snippet print?

Decide your answer before revealing. Then test it in your editor to confirm.

A)

x = 5
y = x + 2
x = 10
print(y)

B)

print("10" + "5")

C) This one is tricky — you have not been taught it yet, so just have a guess at what you think the answer will be.

print(7 / 2)
print(7 // 2)

Learn f-strings: the clean way to print

An f-string lets you drop variables straight into text using curly braces:

robot_name = "VX-9"
battery = 87
print(f"Robot {robot_name} is at {battery}% charge.")

Output: Robot VX-9 is at 87% charge. — you will use f-strings constantly in RoboForge.

Learn input() always gives you a string

Even if the user types 42, input() hands you the text "42". To do maths with it, convert (cast) it first:

battery = int(input("Battery level: "))
battery = battery + 10   # now this works

Use int() for whole numbers and float() for decimals.

Learn if, elif, else

battery = int(input("Battery %: "))

if battery >= 80:
    print("Fully operational.")
elif battery >= 30:
    print("Operational — recharge soon.")
else:
    print("Critical! Return to dock.")

• Python checks conditions top to bottom and runs the first one that is True.
• The colon : and the 4-space indent are not optional — indentation is how Python knows which lines belong to each branch.
• elif and else are optional; if can stand alone.

Learn Comparison and logical operators

Predict Trace the logic

Decide your answer before revealing. Then test it in your editor to confirm.

A)

score = 70
if score > 50:
    print("Pass")
if score > 60:
    print("Credit")

B)

x = 5
if x = 5:
    print("five")

C)

temp = 25
if temp > 20 and temp < 30:
    print("Safe operating range")

Learn for loops and range()

for unit in range(5):
    print(f"Assembling robot unit {unit}")

This prints units 0 to 4 — range(5) gives five numbers starting at 0 and stopping before 5.

Learn while loops

A while loop keeps running as long as its condition is True. Perfect when you don't know in advance how many repeats you need — like a charging cycle:

battery = 20
while battery < 100:
    battery = battery + 15
    print(f"Charging... {battery}%")
print("Charge complete.")

Learn The accumulator pattern

One of the most useful ideas in programming: start a total at zero, then add to it inside a loop.

total_weight = 0
for unit in range(3):
    weight = float(input("Robot weight (kg): "))
    total_weight = total_weight + weight
print(f"Total cargo: {total_weight} kg")

Predict Trace the loop

Decide your answer before revealing. Then test it in your editor to confirm.

A)

for i in range(3):
    print(i * 2)

B)

n = 1
while n < 20:
    n = n * 2
    print(n)

C)

total = 0
for i in range(1, 5):
    total += i
print(total)

Learn Creating and reading lists

fleet = ["VX-9", "Titan", "Scout-3", "Nova"]

print(fleet[0])      # VX-9  — indexing starts at 0!
print(fleet[3])      # Nova
print(fleet[-1])     # Nova  — negative counts from the end (there is no such thing as -0)
print(len(fleet))    # 4    — how many items

Learn Changing lists

Loop through a list with the pattern you already know:

for robot in fleet:
    print(f"{robot} reporting for duty")

Learn Lists vs arrays — what's the difference?

Other languages you may meet later (C#, Java, JavaScript) use arrays: fixed-size collections where every item is usually the same type. Python's list is a more flexible version — it can grow, shrink, and mix types. Python does have a stricter array module and libraries like NumPy for high-performance number crunching, but for this course (and most Python programs), the built-in list is the tool for the job. If an exam or textbook says "array", in Python you can read that as "list".

Predict Trace the list

Decide your answer before revealing. Then test it in your editor to confirm.

A)

nums = [4, 8, 15]
nums.append(16)
print(len(nums))

B)

bots = ["A", "B", "C"]
print(bots[len(bots) - 1])

C)

total = 0
for n in [10, 20, 5]:
    total += n
print(total)

New tools Classes and objects in five minutes

A class is a blueprint. An object is one real thing built from that blueprint. Your class defines the attributes (data every robot stores) and methods (things every robot can do).

class Robot:
    def __init__(self, name, battery):
        self.name = name          # attributes: each object keeps
        self.battery = battery    # its own copy of these values

    def status(self):              # a method
        return f"{self.name}: {self.battery}% charge"

# Building objects — each has its own unique parameters:
r1 = Robot("VX-9", 87)
r2 = Robot("Nova", 42)
print(r1.status())   # VX-9: 87% charge
print(r2.status())   # Nova: 42% charge

• __init__ runs automatically whenever an object is created — it is the assembly line.
• self means "this particular object". self.name is this robot's name.

New tools Inheritance: specialised robots

A child class inherits everything from its parent, then adds or changes what makes it special:

class BattleBot(Robot):                 # inherits from Robot
    def __init__(self, name, battery, armour):
        super().__init__(name, battery)  # run the parent's setup
        self.armour = armour             # new attribute for this type

    def status(self):                     # overriding the parent's method
        return f"{self.name} [ARMOUR {self.armour}]: {self.battery}%"

b1 = BattleBot("Titan", 95, 80)
print(b1.status())   # Titan [ARMOUR 80]: 95%

• super().__init__() calls the parent's constructor so you don't repeat yourself.
• Redefining a method in the child is called overriding — the child's version wins.
• A BattleBot is still a Robot, so it fits in the same fleet list as any other robot.

Brief Your task

Design and build a console program that manages a fleet of robots. Your finished system must:

1. Define a base class Robot with at least three attributes (e.g. name, battery, weight) and at least two methods (e.g. status(), recharge()).
2. Define at least two child classes (e.g. BattleBot, ScoutBot, MedicBot) that use super().__init__(), add at least one unique attribute each, and override at least one method.
3. Let the user manufacture robots through a menu, entering unique parameters for each one — every object in your fleet should hold its own data.
4. Store every object in a single fleet list, and let the user view the full fleet, search for a robot by name, and remove a robot.
5. Run the menu in a while loop with input validation (bad menu choices and impossible values are handled without crashing).

Scaffold Starter structure

You may start from this skeleton. The comments are your to-do list — the design decisions are yours.

class Robot:
    def __init__(self, name, battery, weight):
        # store the parameters as attributes
        ...

    def status(self):
        # return a one-line summary string
        ...

    def recharge(self):
        # set battery back to 100 and confirm
        ...

class ScoutBot(Robot):
    def __init__(self, name, battery, weight, sensor_range):
        # call super().__init__ then add sensor_range
        ...

fleet = []

while True:
    print("\n=== ROBOFORGE ===")
    print("1. Manufacture robot")
    print("2. View fleet")
    print("3. Search by name")
    print("4. Remove robot")
    print("5. Quit")
    choice = input("Choose: ")
    # handle each choice — remember input validation!

Milestones Build order & progress tracker

Tick milestones off as you complete them. Work in this order — each step is testable on its own. (Progress resets when the page is closed, so use it within a lesson.)

• M1 — Base Robot class works: create two robots in code and print both statuses.
• M2 — First child class inherits with super().__init__() and adds a unique attribute.
• M3 — Second child class added; at least one method is overridden.
• M4 — Menu loop runs and quits cleanly.
• M5 — Manufacture option builds an object from user input and appends it to the fleet list.
• M6 — View fleet loops the list and calls each object's status().
• M7 — Search and remove by name both work, including the "not found" case.
• M8 — Input validation: wrong menu numbers and invalid values are handled without crashing.

Rubric How your work will be assessed

Submit Submission checklist

• My .py file runs from a fresh start without errors.
• My name and class are in a comment at the top of the file.
• I have tested manufacturing at least one robot of every type.
• I have tested searching and removing, including a name that does not exist.
• I have uploaded my file for assessment before the due date.