Namespaces in Python

Have you ever wondered where names live in python?  It may seem like a mundane question, but its an important one, and one that doesn't lack intrigue.  Basically, names in python live in namespaces, analogous to how vectors live in vector spaces.  However, this doesn't tell us much, as it only introduces the seemingly abstract concept of a namespace.  To make sense of this notion, lets discuss how python searches through various namespaces when looking for a name.  Specifically, python looks through the following namespaces in order:

(1) Local scope of the innermost function
(2) Scopes of any enclosing functions (if def was in another def)
(3) Global scope (names defined at the top level of the module)
(4) Built-in names in Python such as sum, strip, etc.

This allows python to keep organized, particularly so names outside a function def won't conflict with names inside.

While this is definitely a cool topic (well at least for me) this week seemed to be progressively slow-moving, probably because the buzz with Assignment 1 (which I can happily say I finished!!!).  Anyways, this week should be vastly exciting since we'll be studying 'Trees', literally!