Now, let's move to the next topic in the Python Coding Challenge:

*Strings & String Methods*

A string is a sequence of characters inside quotes. You can use:

name = Alice
greeting = 'Hello!'
paragraph = This is
a multiline string.

Strings are immutable once created, they can't be changed directly.


*Common String Methods*

*Here are some useful methods youll use all the time:*

lower() &8594; makes everything lowercase

upper() &8594; makes everything uppercase

strip() &8594; removes spaces from start and end

replace(old, new) &8594; replaces parts of a string

split() &8594; splits text into a list of words

count(word) &8594; counts how many times something appears

find(word) &8594; finds the position of a word

startswithHello.gif &8594; checks how a string begins

endswith(world) &8594; checks how a string ends


*Examples*

msg = Python is Awesome!

print(msg.lower()) python is awesome!
print(msg.strip()) Python is Awesome!
print(msg.replace(Awesome, Powerful)) Python is Powerful!
print(msg.split()) ['Python', 'is', 'Awesome!']


*Project 1: Word Counter*

text = input(Enter a sentence: )
words = text.split()
print(Word count:, len(words))

Try it with:

Python is easy and powerful
&8594; Output: 5


*Project 2: Palindrome Checker*

text = input(Enter a word: )
if text == text[::-1]:
print(Palindrome!)
else:
print(Not a palindrome.)

Try:

- madam &8594; Palindrome
- racecar &8594; Palindrome
- hello &8594; Not a palindrome