Writing code that works is important, but writing code that is easy to read and maintain is equally important. Here are three key practices.

1. Naming and Initialising Variables

Use variable names that describe their contents. This makes your code much easier to understand.

# Poor variable names
x = 10.0
y = 5.0
z = 2.0
a = x * y * z

# Good variable names
length = 10.0
width = 5.0
depth = 2.0
volume = length * width * depth

Initialise your variables at the top of your program so you can see at a glance what data your program uses.

2. Using Comments

Comments explain why your code does something, not just what it does. Use the # symbol to add comments:

# Calculate the volume of the swimming pool
length = float(input("Enter the length: "))
width = float(input("Enter the width: "))
depth = float(input("Enter the depth: "))

volume = length * width * depth  # length × width × depth
print("The volume is", volume)

Good comments:

• Explain the purpose of a section of code
• Clarify complex calculations
• Note any assumptions or limitations

Avoid obvious comments like # print the result above print(result).

3. Spacing and Layout

Use blank lines to separate logical sections of your program. This makes the code easier to read:

# Get user input
name = input("Enter your name: ")
age = int(input("Enter your age: "))

# Calculate future age
future_age = age + 10

# Display results
print("Hello,", name)
print("In 10 years you will be", future_age)

Clean Up This Code

Can you improve the following poorly written program?

x=input("n?")
y=int(input("a?"))
z=int(input("h?"))
print(x,y,z+10)

# Get user details
name = input("Enter your name: ")
age = int(input("Enter your age: "))
height = int(input("Enter your height in cm: "))

# Display details with age in 10 years
print(name, age, height + 10)