When you start programming, you will come across two annoying types of mistakes: syntax errors and logic errors. Let’s explain these in simple terms.

Syntax Errors:

• These are the easiest mistakes to spot. They happen when you don’t follow the rules of the programming language.
• Think about writing a sentence and forgetting to put a period at the end. It doesn’t make sense, right? In programming, a syntax error could be something like:
  • Forgetting to add a semicolon (;) at the end of a line.
  • Not closing a parenthesis (the round brackets).
  • Using the wrong spacing in languages like Python (which cares a lot about spaces).
• The good news? Usually, the computer catches these errors right away! This makes fixing them a little easier.

Logic Errors:

• These are the sneaky kinds of mistakes! Your code runs just fine, but it doesn’t do what you want it to do.
• For example, if you created a function to find the area of a rectangle and accidentally swapped the width and height in your formula: $\text{Area} = \text{width} + \text{height}$
• It will run without any problems, but oops—you just added instead of multiplied! This can lead to wrong answers, and sometimes it takes a while to figure out the mistake.

Key Differences:

• Finding Errors: Syntax errors stop your program from running. Logic errors let it run but give you the wrong answers.
• Fixing Mistakes: For syntax errors, you can usually just read the error messages. For logic errors, you might need to go through your code step-by-step, use print statements to check values, or use debugging tools to help find where things went wrong.

In the end, getting to know these errors is all part of the fun of learning how to code!