Python 3 — Modules, Libraries & standard imports

🐍 Python 3 🟢 Lesson 11 📅 July 2026

You don't need to write every feature from scratch. Python comes with a massive "Standard Library" of built-in code blocks (modules) that handle math calculations, random generators, date logic, and web integrations. Let's see how to use them.

1 The import Statement

To use code from a module, you must import it at the top of your program. Here is how we import and use the standard math and random modules:

Python 3 — Importing Modules ▶ Run Code

import math
import random

# Using math functions
square_root = math.sqrt(64)
print(f"Square Root: {square_root}") # 8.0

# Generating a random number between 1 and 10
lucky_number = random.randint(1, 10)
print(f"Lucky Number: {lucky_number}")

2 Importing Specific Elements

If you only need a single function from a large module, you can import it specifically using the from ... import syntax. This allows you to call the function directly without prepending the module name:

Python 3 — Selective Imports ▶ Run Code

from datetime import datetime

# Fetching current timestamp
now = datetime.now()
print(f"Current Date/Time: {now}")

3 Third-Party Packages (pip)

If Python's standard library doesn't cover your needs, you can import libraries written by other developers. In your local terminal, you can download packages from the Python Package Index (PyPI) using pip:

# Running in local command terminal:
pip install requests

Once installed, you can import it like standard modules: import requests.

⚠️ Avoid Import Collisions:

Never name your script file the same name as a Python standard library module (like naming your file math.py). If you do, Python will import your script instead of the standard math module, causing standard math methods to fail with errors!

4 Coding Challenge

Import the 'random' module, create a list of three strings representing prizes (e.g. "Car", "Bike", "Candy"), and use 'random.choice(prizes)' to print out a random prize winner.