Module 2 · Variables · Lesson 3 of 8

How to create a variable

You create a variable the moment you put something in it, using the assignment operator, =. Write the name, an =, then the value: score = 100. There's no need to announce the type — Python works it out from the value.

Read it right-to-left: = takes the value on the right and stores it in the name on the left. That's why 100 = score is an error — the name has to be on the left. And despite the symbol, it does not mean “equals” in the maths sense.

Try changing the values, or adding a variable of your own. Once a box exists, you can use it anywhere you'd use the value itself — which is exactly the next lesson.