The Box Analogy Makes Variables Easier to Understand

Just like how boxes hold objects in a warehouse, variables store values.

Variables are a fundamental concept in programming, and understanding how they work is crucial to becoming proficient in any programming language, including Python. However, it can be challenging for beginners to grasp the concept of variables, especially when it comes to memory allocation. In this article, we will explain how the box analogy can help make the concept of variables more approachable and relatable.

What is the similarity between a box and a variable?

Imagine you have a box, and you can put anything you want inside it. You can put a toy, a book, a pencil, or even another box inside it. This box is like a variable in Python. Just like how you can change what's inside the box, you can also change what's inside a variable in Python. You can assign a number, a string of text, or a list of items to a variable. For example, you can create a variable called "class_grade" and assign it the value of 44. Later on, you can change the value of the variable "class_grade" to 40 In the same way that you can retrieve the item inside the box, you can also retrieve the value of a variable in Python. For example, you can print out the value of the "class_grade" variable, which will output: 40.

Box 1. Is like an empty variable, there are no values assigned to it yet.
Box 2. Contains several articles, which may correspond to a list of values assigned to a variable.
Box 3. Similar to assigning values to a variable, you can also remove those values.

What happens when a variable is assigned to a value?

The box analogy can also help people understand the concept of memory in programming. Just like how a box has a specific location where it is stored, a variable in Python is also stored in a specific location in memory. When a variable is assigned a value, it is stored in a specific memory location, and that location can be accessed by the programmer to retrieve the value of the variable. Take a look at the cover picture at the beginning, it conveys the idea very well. Suppose a programmer needs to retrieve an item stored in a box in the warehouse. The item is located specifically in the first box in the leftmost range, which corresponds to position F31. Including these details of the box's location facilitates the quick and accurate identification and allows for more precise retrieval of the desired item. Understanding memory allocation is crucial in programming because it can help programmers optimize their code. 

Wrap up

The box analogy is an effective method to visualize and understand how variables operate and how they are stored in computer's memory.

Test your understanding

Which of the following statements does not belong with the others?
A)    Variables are used to store data in programming.
B)    The box analogy is a tool used in electrical engineering to visualize circuits.
C)    Understanding a computer's memory can help programmers make their code more efficient.
D)    The box analogy is a method to comprehend how variables operate and are stored in a computer's memory.

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Yanick Saint-Elien is a Soft Skills trainer and Technical Content writer. She is the principal writer at Life Skills where she covers everything related to life skills, social emotional learning, Python programming for beginners, learning languages using the Assimil method. Her work appeared in publications including Ayiti Analytics and HCodeIt. Hire her or join the Life Skills' fanbase.

Graphics retouched by Yanick Saint-Elien
Header image by Vecteezy
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