Assignment Binding a variable in Python means setting a name to hold a reference to some object. Assignment creates references, not coples (like Java) A variable is created the first time it appears on the left side of an assignment expression: x = 3 An object is deleted (by the garbage collector) once it becomes unreachable. Names in Python do not have an intrinsic type. Objects have types (more on classes and objects later). Python determines the type of the reference automatically based on what data is assigned to it