Practicing Conditions and Understanding List Copy in Python

Why I studied this

I wanted to get better at using conditions in Python and understand how list copying works.
Both are basic but important in writing correct and efficient programs.

---

What I did

Using if, elif, and else

n = int(input("Enter a number: "))

if n > 0:
    print("positive number")
elif n == 0:
    print("zero")
else:
    print("negative number")

This checks if a number is positive, zero, or negative.

---

Wage calculation example

name = input("Name: ")
hours = int(input("Work hours: "))
pay_per_hour = int(input("Hourly wage: "))

if hours > 20:
    extra = int(pay_per_hour * 0.5 * (hours - 20))
else:
    extra = 0

basic = hours * pay_per_hour
total = basic + extra

print(f"{name}'s total wage is {total} (basic {basic} + extra {extra})")

I used conditions to add extra pay only if hours worked are more than 20.

---

Shallow vs Deep Copy

a = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]
b = a
a[2] = -3

print(a)  # changed
print(b)  # also changed

This shows shallow copy — both a and b refer to the same memory.

---

Making a real deep copy

b = []
for item in a:
    b.append(item)

Or with list comprehension:

b = [item for item in a]

This creates a completely new list with the same values.

---

What I learned

I learned how to use if-elif-else to control program logic.
I also finally understood how list copying works, especially why shallow copy can cause bugs.

---

What I want to do next

I want to practice more list comprehensions and write more condition-based mini programs like menus or calculators.