Book “Learning Python. Game programming, data visualization, web applications"

• Blog of the company Publishing house "Peter",
• Python,
• Professional literature

Hello, Khabro residents! We recently published a new book by Eric Mathis:

The goal of this book is to get the reader up to speed on writing workable programs (games, data visualizations, and web applications) in Python as quickly as possible, while laying a foundation in programming that will serve them throughout their lives. The book is written for people of any age who have never programmed in Python before or have never programmed at all. If you want to quickly learn the basics of programming so you can focus on interesting projects, and test your understanding of new concepts with meaningful problems, this book is for you. The book is also ideal for educators who want to offer a project-based introductory programming course.

What will this book teach you?

The first part of the book will introduce the basic programming concepts you need to know to write Python programs. These concepts are no different from those covered at the beginning of learning almost any programming language. You will become familiar with different types of data and the possibilities for storing data in lists and dictionaries. You will learn to create collections of data and work effectively with these collections. In particular, while and if loops allow you to execute certain pieces of code if a certain condition is true, and execute other pieces otherwise - these constructs are very helpful in automating processes.

You'll learn to receive input from the user to make your programs interactive, and to execute them as long as the user remains active. You'll also learn how to write functions to execute parts of your programs over and over again, so that you program an action once and can then use it as many times as needed. This concept will then be extended to more complex behavior with classes, allowing even relatively simple programs to respond to a wide variety of situations. You will learn to write programs that correctly handle many common errors. After introducing the basic concepts, we will write several short programs to solve specific problems. Finally, you'll take your first steps toward intermediate programming: you'll learn how to write tests for your code so you can continue developing programs without worrying about introducing bugs. All the information in Part I will prepare you for more complex and large-scale projects.

Part II will apply the knowledge gained in Part I to build three projects. You can take on any of these projects in the order that works best for you. The first project (chapters 12–14) will create a shoot-'em-up game in the style of the classic hit Space Invaders, consisting of many levels of increasing difficulty. After completing this project, you will know much of what you need to know to develop your own 2D games.

The second project (Chapters 15–17) will introduce you to data visualization. To make sense of the vast amounts of information available, data scientists use a variety of visualization tools. You will work with data sets generated in programs; datasets downloaded from online sources; and data sets that are loaded automatically by your program. After completing this project, you will be able to write programs that process large data sets and build visual representations of stored information.

The third project (Chapters 18–20) will build a small Learning Log web application. This project allows you to keep a journal of new ideas and concepts that you have learned while studying a specific topic. The app user will be able to keep different journals on different topics, create accounts and start new journals. You'll also learn how to take your project online so anyone can work with it from anywhere.

Why Python?

Python is used for a variety of purposes: creating games, building web applications, solving business problems, and developing back-end tools for all sorts of interesting projects. Python is also widely used in the scientific field for theoretical research and solving applied problems.

However, one of the most important reasons for me to use Python remains the Python community, which is made up of incredibly diverse and supportive people. Community is extremely important in programming because programming is not purely an individual endeavor. Many of us, even the most experienced programmers, have to seek advice from colleagues who have already solved similar problems. Having a friendly, supportive community helps solve problems, and the Python community is ready to help people who use Python as their first programming language.

about the author

About the scientific reviewer

» More details about the book can be found at

The beginning of every story written by a journalist should attract the reader's attention and arouse his sincere interest. We are talking about the first paragraphs of the text, the so-called leads. These paragraphs are often highlighted in a font that differs from the font of the main text. The lead, like the title of an article, is designed to introduce the reader to the event that took place and entice him to further read the entire article. But the journalist must remember that not every reader on the site has the opportunity to finish reading the entire text; often it is limited to the first paragraph, in which the essence should be conveyed very concisely.

Types of leads with examples

A lead that summarizes the content is intended to inform the event and does not reveal the mystery. Answers to the questions “what?”, “where?”, “when?” are given in the main text.

Example:

On July 14, police discovered the body of a young girl in an abandoned mine near the city of Pervouralsk. Two weeks ago, an identical incident occurred; the body of a woman was discovered in the same mine.

A single lead is necessary to emphasize only one fact, which, in the journalist’s opinion, is the most important.

Example:

About 100 URIB diplomas were found to be fake during a recent audit.

A dramatic lead is designed to appeal to the emotional state of the reader.

Example:
Despite the signing of the international treaty “On Peace and Harmony,” Syria still stores atomic bombs to this day. The country's government made a statement that it was preparing to invade neighboring countries using atomic bombing.

A quote lead is created using a quoted statement. Such a quote should be bright (according to the journalist) and colorful.

Example:
— The maternity hospital is equipped with first-class technology. World luminaries of obstetric practice will come here to perform the most complex births,” announced the head physician of the new maternity hospital.

A descriptive lead begins with an unusual and interesting message that will help introduce the reader to the atmosphere that is inherent in the event taking place.

Example:

A cozy log house in the very center of the forest does not attract attention, but it beckons you to come in for a light. A folk healer, Alevtina, lives in this house, and for many years now she has been treating everyone for their ailments.

A predictive lead is a journalist’s guess about some situation in the future.

Example:

Inflation in the Russian Federation next year will increase by an average of 15%, which will raise a wave of crisis and massive outbursts of people's dissatisfaction with rising prices.

A question lead is a paragraph at the beginning of the text with a question.

Example:

Why do husbands most often divorce their wives? Are the contradictions that accumulate every year or the betrayal of one of the spouses to blame? Top versions of the reasons for divorce are presented here.

A poster lead is similar to a single lead, but its main difference is that it is made up of those sentences that are present in the entire article.

Example:

The speed of a passenger train should not exceed 120 km/h. This decision was taken by the Railway Board for the safety of passengers.

An anecdotal/humorous lead is an anecdote that is a kind of introduction to the article.

Example:

At the doctor:
- Doctor, what should I do? My wife has a fever!
— Tall?
- Yes, eighty meters.
This article is devoted to how often patients do not understand their doctors and vice versa.

Heading as a type of the shortest introduction

The title is intended to provide answers to questions in any genre of journalism. It, like a business card, must intrigue the reader so that he reads the entire article. The title is a poster, which is logical to come up with only after completing the writing of the article. The fact is that when the title is first invented, the article is adjusted to fit it, and important points may be missed. If a journalist initially writes the text, and comes up with a title after finishing the work, then the article turns out brilliant, and the title is the most suitable for it.

There are no clear requirements for a headline in the world of journalism. It can consist of one word or several, answer a question, or be fraught with irony. The most important thing is to make sure that after reading it, a person has an irresistible desire to read the entire text and not skip it, so the title should not be vague and boring.

Internal headings are used to break up text internally. They are designed to make text easier to understand. Otherwise they are called chapters. Such a headline should under no circumstances repeat the main one, otherwise the journalist risks losing the reader’s interest in his article.

For a successful article, it would be optimal to start the text with a lead that can stir the mind and soul of the reader, and continue with paragraphs that will completely satisfy the interest that arises.

Effective bait - eyeliner

During the period from October 1 to October 5, 2013, the VII International Information Forum “Integration of Compatriots” (MIFIS-2013) will be held in Irkutsk.

The Forum is a key annual event within the framework of the implementation of the State program to facilitate the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation, and is held by the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation in order to popularize the State program and promote the adaptation and integration of compatriots-migrants
from abroad.

MIFIS-2013 will be dedicated to the opportunities that the new version of the State Program opens up for compatriots, developed by the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia together with other federal departments, approved by the President of the Russian Federation in September 2012, and which came into force on January 1, 2013. In addition, the results of implementation will be summed up State program in 2006-2012, within the framework of which 125 thousand compatriots from abroad moved to Russia.

In addition to the plenary session, the Forum program plans to hold round tables on current issues in the implementation of the State program and regional resettlement programs.
Representatives of the media and compatriot organizations will be able to get acquainted with the settlement territories of the Irkutsk region as part of a specialized press tour.

Within the framework of the Forum, there will be a presentation of 40 regional resettlement programs for constituent entities of the Russian Federation, currently agreed upon by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Representatives of federal executive authorities, the deputy corps, Russian-language media from near and far abroad, and experts on migration issues will take part in the work of MIFIS-2013. A number of compatriots living abroad and planning to move to the Irkutsk region within the framework of the State program will also have the opportunity to take part in the Forum and get acquainted with the resettlement region.

The official website http://mifis.ru/ contains detailed information about the work of the Forum and archival information about past Forums.

Organizer of the Forum: Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation.

The contact person: Karpov Evgeniy Alexandrovich. Cont. tel. 8-495-980-25-47, ext. 24040, 8-903-547-14-157; e-mail: [email protected]

Authorized operator: Iris PRO LLC

CEO: Grishina Elena Vladimirovna
The contact person: Mikhailova Valeria Chingisovna. Cont. phone: +7-495-690-16-86; e-mail: [email protected]

Press secretary: Khmeleva Elizaveta Dmitrievna, +7-495-690-16-86; +7-916-656-57-89; e-mail: [email protected]

Prepared by the press service of AirisPRO LLC

During the period from October 10 - 11, 2013. will take place in Vladivostok VII International Environmental Forum “NATURE WITHOUT BORDERS”.

The organizer of the Forum is the Administration of the Primorsky Territory. The forum is held with the support of the Federation Council Committee on Agricultural and Food Policy and Environmental Management, and the State Duma Committee on Natural Resources, Environmental Management and Ecology. According to Order No. 25 of January 21, 2013 of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, the Forum is included in the plan of official events for the Year of Environmental Protection in 2013 in the Russian Federation.

Main topic of the Forum "Environment: status, protection, regulation" is especially relevant in the year of environmental protection in Russia and arouses wide interest among specialists and the public, and is supported at the interstate level.

Forum Sections:

• “Monitoring, legal issues of regulation and environmental protection”;
• “Management of production and consumption waste, elimination of accumulated damage”;
• “Sustainable water use and protection of water bodies.”

The forum, which has already become traditional, is known not only in the Russian Federation, but also beyond its borders, especially in the countries of Southeast Asia, where the phenomenon of cross-border is widespread.

The main objective of the Forum is to attract the Russian and world public to environmental problems and formulate a unified policy in the field of environmental protection and rational use of natural resources.

Leading Russian and foreign experts and the media will take part in the work and coverage of the Forum.

General information partner: Information Agency "INTEFAX".

Official partner: International Ecological Non-Profit Foundation “Tiger House”.

Venue: Administration of the Primorsky Territory (Vladivostok, Svetlanskaya St., 22).

The official website www.naturewithoutborders.ru contains detailed information about the work of the Forum and archived information about past Forums.

Organizer: Administration of the Primorsky Territory, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Primorsky Territory.
Contact phone: +7 -423-221-53-99; e-mail: [email protected]

Single operator for the preparation and holding of the Forum: Iris PRO LLC
General Director: Grishina Elena Vladimirovna
Contact phone: +7-495-690-16-86; e-mail: [email protected]

Accreditation for the media: Khmeleva Elizaveta Dmitrievna
Contact phone: +7-495-690-16-86; +7-916-656-57-89; e-mail: [email protected]

The police continue to search for Oleg Titov, who was the right hand of the founder of one of the Colombian drug gangs, Leo Francis Morgan. In addition, the wanted man kept all the books of the drug war and controlled the supply of cocaine to Europe and Africa through Russian territory.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the person who provided information about the whereabouts of Oleg Titov will receive a reward of 1 million rubles. At the moment, as the investigation suggests, the criminal is hiding on the territory of Ukraine.

Let us recall that some time ago the security forces of Russia, Panama and Brazil carried out an operation to expose and neutralize a large drug cortel. Almost all participants in the criminal group were detained and sentenced by the court to terms ranging from 18 to 22 years. The founder and head of the drug gang, Leo Francis Morgan, received a sentence of 24 years in prison. Oleg Titov could not be detained.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that the use of extensive connections in the criminal world could allow Titov to continue distributing drugs to many world powers.

At the moment, Oleg Titov is on the international wanted list.

In the capital of Ukraine, the first International Festival of Contemporary Ceramics “Modern Ceramics in Urban Space”, which took place from September 26 to 29, has come to an end. Its curators were art critic Oksana Bilous and artist ceramistOlesya Dvorak-Galik, and the site for it turned out to be a cultural center on Andreevsky Spusk, on the site of the Yunost factory, which was demolished about a year ago, or rather, a construction site where work on its construction is underway.

The Ceramics Biennale attracted a lot of attention from Kiev residents and city guests, who viewed the works of dozens of masters from Ukraine, Belarus and Latvia. Also, many at the festival attended master classes where they learned what ceramic mosaic is and how to make the simplest objects of this applied art yourself.

The most notable participants of the event were Kyiv ceramic artists Mark Galenko, Egor Zigura, Nelly Isupova and Natalya Kolpakova. And also Kaspars Gaiduks, Dina Miliga and Vlentins Petko from Riga and Veronika Ljubcic from Minsk. The applied nature of the ceramists’ work was also emphasized by the fact that the festival was entirely dedicated to urbanism. Both the “Rat Army” and “The World on the Back of a Whale”, as well as all the goblin, rhinoceroses, lighthouses and, of course, the weeping angels, can probably appear on the streets of cities. And even poetry evenings organized as part of the festival were dedicated to the cities.

And, although the festival was held for the first time in the entire recent history of Ukraine as an independent state, they promise to make it regular. In any case, the organizers are confident that the success of using the former factory space as a cultural space has once again been demonstrated.

One of the secondary schools in the city of Chegem, located in the mountains of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, switched to electronic books. And it’s not at all about the high standard of living here. It’s just that teachers and parents together considered that the cost of a modern digital “reader”, even one of the most modern models - Onyx Boox i63SML Kopernik, is comparable to a set of textbooks, teaching aids and additional reading materials needed by a student in the eighth grade.

By decision of the parent committee, funds for gadgets were collected on a voluntary basis from parents. They were also purchased centrally, and by September 1, students received brand new e-books with textbooks and teaching aids preinstalled in them. For example, students will also be able to download books that will need to be read as part of a literature course from the Internet.

However, the school notes today that when working with e-books they immediately had to introduce a number of restrictions. First of all, these should be books whose settings are most favorable for children's eyes. Devices with the “electronic ink” function do not strain your eyes. Of course, this excludes the cheapest models from the list.

In addition, teachers have to ensure that children use books in class only for studying and not for communicating on social networks, for example. And finally, on the Internet, unfortunately for teachers, there is no information about local history, history and local geography of the KBR, but this is a temporary difficulty, teachers of the Chegem secondary school are sure.

Gambling, banned in Ukraine since the summer of 2009, can return to the field of legal business. Local experts are talking about this, observing how the right to renew licenses for lottery organizers was returned, having lifted the moratorium by decision of the Verkhovna Rada. As Ukrainian politicians previously stated, already in February of this year, lottery activities should have been completely banned.

Experts predict that the ban on organizing betting and gambling will be lifted in the near future. This forecast is largely explained by the fact that after the ban, these services did not disappear, but only migrated to the Internet. For example, it is not a problem to place life bets on the Parimatch website - bets on all types of matches in Ukraine. (link) This means that due to restrictions, only the budget receives less income.

Currently, legislative restrictions on the number of lottery operators operating in Ukraine have already been lifted, although they still must be associated with the state. Local experts point out that these conditions do not allow the number of lotteries to increase uncontrollably. At the same time, in this way, serious players in the lottery business will be able to develop more intensively.

Proposals to allow the organization of casinos in hotels, for example, located on the Crimean peninsula and in other resort areas, have also gained popularity. This project was submitted to colleagues in the Verkhovna Rada by Oleg Tsarev, deputy head of the majority faction - the Party of Regions. Last year, the initiative to legalize betting companies for the Euro 2012 football championship was widely discussed, but in the end it was never done.

The main lobbyist for the return of the gambling business to Ukraine is considered to be the owner of the only legal casino in this country, businessman Mikhail Spektor. The gambling establishment in the Premier Palace premium hotel is considered legal, as it was open before the ban on gambling. The fact is that foreign investors were attracted to this business project. And such projects must continue for three years, despite the entry into force of new laws that worsen business conditions. This rule protects the casino at Premier Palace.

In one of his last interviews, Spector admitted that his organization, instead of preparing to close the gambling establishment, is actively promoting bills to legalize casinos in large high-class hotels. In the latest issue of Forbes magazine, he stated that he is working in this direction both with the party in power and with the opposition deputies of the Rada. “We hope that they will still pass the law, because there is nothing seditious or bad in this business,” he said in particular, talking with a journalist from a business publication.

On September 25, a large rally was expected in Volgograd. In accordance with the application of the Volgograd regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, 5,000 people were supposed to gather on Lenin Square for a protest rally against the results of the elections to the city duma.

First of all, people dressed in red shirt-fronts with the letters “Communist Party of the Russian Federation” with red banners in their hands caught the eye. They willingly entered into conversations with journalists and passers-by, saying that they were residents of Kalmykia, brought to the rally from Elista.

This is not the first time this has happened: a week ago, on September 18, when high-ranking capital guests from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation visited Volgograd, the leaders of the Volgograd regional party committee also, according to actively circulating information, ensured the mass scale of their action at the expense of fellow party members brought from Kalmykia. In addition, on that day, Volgograd residents themselves noticed and actively discussed on the Internet the fact that several hundred participants in the rally were employees of the Pamyat ritual service, who were taken to the rally by order on six buses.

But on September 25, the residents of Kalmykia unexpectedly were joined by some young girls at a communist rally. Unlike the Elista communists, the girls were clearly reluctant to talk with journalists - apparently because they were under the watchful eye of strict ladies of Balzac’s age. Nevertheless, we managed to find out: these girls, who actually made up the majority of the “protesters,” are students of two Volgograd educational institutions - a pedagogical university and a technological college. They also ended up on Lenin Square - solely by order; they do not share communist ideas and do not intend to share them in the future.

The participation in communist actions of the notorious Volgograd neo-Nazi Elena Samoshina also deserves special mention. Let us remember that she is known for admitting on Channel One that she has a tattoo in the shape of a fascist swastika on her body, and she and her husband force their children to study Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf.” Now Samoshina positions herself as a mother of many children, allegedly fighting for the rights of large families in the Volgograd region. In this regard, she has already repeatedly tried to go on hunger strikes, which either did not start at all or ended in nothing after a couple of days. Today, the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation has provided a place for another “hunger strike” for the Volgograd neo-Nazi: in their desire to accumulate any Volgograd negativity around themselves, the communists are clearly going too far.

At the same time that Samoshina was holding a rally on Lenin Square, some Volgograd mothers of disabled children, who initially supported the hunger strike, met with the ministers of the Volgograd region - and as a result of this meeting, having found a solution to their problems, they abandoned the protest actions. But the closest associates of Elena Samoshina, despite the invitations made to them, ignored the meeting with the ministers: instead of solving the problems of children, they preferred to appear at the Communist Party of the Russian Federation rally in the company of students and residents of neighboring Kalmykia.

But the greatest indignation of Volgograd residents was caused by the way this rally was covered by certain online media. In reality, as Volgograd bloggers who attended the rally write, about three hundred people gathered on Lenin Square at the expense of Kalmyks and brought students. However, already on the same day, in reports from a number of news agencies, the number of protesters was gradually inflated from “four hundred” to “more than a thousand,” as, for example, a local Internet portal with the appropriate name “City of Heroes” wrote. And already in the morning, some federal websites generally reported that “two thousand” protesting Volgograd residents had gathered on Lenin Square.

Bloggers dubbed all this “communist postscripts” and called for a boycott of the media that published such information.

It is interesting that, despite all the actions and protests, the Volgograd communists have still not voiced a single proven fact of election fraud. Moreover: on the night after the elections at all polling stations in Volgograd, all voting members of precinct election commissions, including representatives of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, agreed on and signed all the relevant final protocols without a single comment. There were 644 such protocols in total - two at each of the 322 sites. That is, on election night, the communists themselves did not notice any violations.

The need to organize protest actions arose the very next day, when the full scale of the failure of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation candidates in the City Duma elections became known.

Meanwhile, a number of experts, including those in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, say that local security forces are behind today’s protest actions of Volgograd communists and behind the artificially created negative information agenda around Volgograd. The Volgograd security forces, according to some estimates, would like to see “their” people in the regional authorities, and it is for this purpose that they are now putting serious pressure on the head of the regional committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Nikolai Parshin, forcing him to continue virtually senseless protests.

A number of State Duma deputies have already demanded that the relevant government bodies give a legal assessment of the actions of the Volgograd security forces and communists.

Traditionally, any scientific work begins with introduction. True to its name, this part enters the reader is up to date: what time, place and events are being discussed and, most importantly, what is the main purpose of this study.

If anywhere in the work it is appropriate to acquaint the reader with the so-called “historical context” of certain events, then this is, perhaps, precisely in the introduction. However, this should be done very briefly. Works in which the introduction turns into an extensive chapter, consistently outlining the entire history of a region - as they say, “from Adam to Potsdam” - and also providing the reader with the most detailed information about the ethnic composition of the population, climatic conditions and methods of economy (especially if the topic of the report, for example, relates to religion or culture). In this case, one involuntarily gets the feeling that such a “lyrical digression” has only one goal - to add volume to the work.

The same introduction may contain a rationale for the choice of topic stated in the title of the report, as well as the aspect of the research being undertaken. Justifications can be presented in the form of general considerations (for example, “ from this perspective, this problem has not yet been considered in science" or " it still remains not fully developed"). However, personal assessment and indications of the author’s interest in the chosen topic are also acceptable.

One of the most common mistakes in constructing an introduction is made when it begins not with a statement of the problem, but with some kind of conclusion that precedes the research itself and, most often, is simply borrowed from the literature. For example, when examining the topic “ Slavery in the Hittite Kingdom“, the author of the report strives from the very beginning to “dot all the i’s”, already in the introduction stating the following: “ According to Hittite laws, society was divided into free and unfree (slaves). Free people are persons who are exempted by the king from state duties. Persons who were deprived of any social freedom were called slaves and were in a certain dependence on their masters..." This kind of initiative is unacceptable for a number of reasons. Firstly, it contains a conclusion that is not supported by any references to the text of sources that should be understood in the main part. Secondly, such a statement deprives the work itself of meaning, since it clearly shows that the author approaches the topic with ready-made cliches, with a position formed without any work with the text. As a result, the same statement appears again in the conclusion, although an analysis of the monuments clearly shows that such a simplified characterization of Hittite society does not entirely correspond to reality.

Strictly speaking, after reading the introduction to the report, a person getting acquainted with the work should get as complete and clear an idea as possible about what tasks and goals The author of the study sets himself what questions he asks the text of the sources he has chosen.

The goal of the work is usually considered to be the final solution to a problem, for the sake of which the work is written. To achieve the goal set in the work, the author seeks answers to a series of questions sequentially asked to the source. This means that the objectives of the report are, in a way, steps in the ladder leading to the solution of the main research problem. Their formulations should be given in the introduction. For example, if the work is written on the topic "Slavery in the Hittite Kingdom" formulations of the purpose and objectives of the study may sound something like this: “ The purpose of the work is to give the most complete description of that layer of society, whose representatives are defined in sources as “slaves”" However, it is worth finding out what groups Hittite society consisted of in general. In the texts of the sources there are a variety of characters: a free person, a person, servants, slaves and even a mysterious “someone”. This means that we need to find out how these people differed from each other and how they were “positioned” on the hierarchical ladder (could it be that the same characters are called by different terms in the source, or vice versa - the same word refers to persons who differ from each other according to their social status?). Accordingly, this will be the first task of the study. The following are questions related specifically to those characters whom we will classify as “slaves”: their property status (do they have property, if so, what is it, is it owned by the “slave” or is it only his possession), relationships “slaves” to the land (whose land they cultivate, why, when donating a plot of land, the “slaves” living on it are also donated, etc.), their type of activity (only “slaves” farmers appear in the texts or and artisans, etc.), are the Hittite “slaves” endowed with any rights or are they considered in the texts along with things owned by the owner, etc.

Within some topics, more abstract formulations of the research goal are possible. For example, if the report examines the topic of the foreign policy of the Assyrian state in the 1st millennium BC, and the sources are the annals and inscriptions of the Assyrian kings, then the following formulation is acceptable: “ This work makes an attempt to systematize the available information about the Assyrian military campaigns of the 1st millennium BC." This type of research makes sense when the author of the report has at his disposal a whole complex of heterogeneous sources (“ India through the eyes of ancient authors», « The accession of Chandragupta in ancient and Indian traditions", etc.). In this case, the selection, systematization and comparison of information on the topic from these texts can be considered a full-fledged scientific research.

Thus, the research objectives are formulated in the introduction based on what issues need to be addressed to achieve the main goal of the work. In the future, based on the formulation of the research objectives, it will be possible to competently, clearly and beautifully format the main part of the report.

It is very important to ensure that you “keep your promises.” Simply put, the tasks and goals stated in the text of the introduction correspond to the problems that are actually solved in the main part and the conclusions contained in the conclusion. Sometimes particularly cunning authors write an introduction when the work is already ready. This is unlikely to be correct. Of course, such a sequence can prevent inconsistency between different parts of the report. But a good introduction equals a clear plan. It, of course, - even in a draft - should be before the eyes of the author writing the report. If the study of a monument has taken the author far from his original intention, it is quite possible to adjust the text of the introduction and bring it into line with the fruits of his labor.

In a well-written work, it is in the introduction that the author tries not only to interest, but even to intrigue his reader. The formulation of the problem may initially contain some kind of paradox, which in the future will “keep” readers or listeners in intense attention. For example, it does not take great talent to show that the position of women in one or another country of the Ancient East was unenviable, and slaves acted as completely powerless creatures. These theses have long turned into axioms. Yet, upon careful reading of the monuments, it becomes clear that some provisions in the text do not fully correspond to such statements. The ability to show this using source material certainly requires a certain skill and observation, and makes the work itself much more interesting.

A well-structured introduction is a chance to make the work interesting not only for the author himself. In essence, this is already the key to success.