Creating Circles With Python Turtle: A Beginner's Guide

Python Turtle is a beginner-friendly way to learn Python by running some basic commands and viewing the turtle do it graphically. It is like a drawing board that allows you to draw over it. The Turtle module provides turtle graphics primitives in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. The Turtle module provides a representation of a physical turtle (a little robot with a pen) that draws on a sheet of paper on the floor. It’s an effective and well-proven way for learners to encounter programming concepts and interaction with software, as it provides instant, visible feedback.

To draw a circle using the Turtle module, you can use the predefined function circle(radius). This function draws a circle of the given radius by taking the turtle position as the centre. You can also specify the extent and steps to further customize the circle.

Turtle.circle() method

The Turtle module in Python provides a beginner-friendly way to learn Python by running some basic commands and viewing the turtle do it graphically. It is like a drawing board that allows you to draw over it. The Turtle module provides turtle graphics primitives in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways.

The Turtle.circle() method is used to draw a circle with a given radius. The syntax for the Turtle.circle() method is:

Python

Turtle.circle(radius, extent=None, steps=None)

Here, `radius` is the radius of the circle, `extent` is the part of the circle in degrees as an arc, and `steps` divide the shape into an equal number of given steps.

Python

Import turtle

Draw a circle of radius 50 pixels

Turtle.circle(50)

Draw a half circle of radius 80 pixels

Turtle.circle(80, extent=180)

Draw a pentagon with radius 80 pixels and 5 equal sides

Turtle.circle(80, steps=5)

You can also use the forward() and left() methods in the Turtle module to draw a circle without using the circle() method. Here is an example:

Python

Import turtle

Draw a circle with radius 50

For i in range(360):

Turtle.forward(50)

Turtle.left(1)

To draw concentric circles, you can use the circle() method by adjusting the radius and position of the turtle for each circle. Here is an example:

Python

Import turtle

T = turtle.Turtle()

For i in range(5):

T.circle(i * 10)

T.penup()

T.setposition(0, -(i * 10))

T.pendown()

Turtle.forward() and Turtle.left() methods

The Turtle module in Python provides turtle graphics primitives in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. The Turtle.forward() and Turtle.left() methods are used to move the turtle forward and change its direction respectively.

The Turtle.forward() method takes a value as an argument and moves the turtle forward by that amount. For example, Turtle.forward(100) would move the turtle forward by 100 units.

The Turtle.left() method also takes an angle as an argument and turns the turtle left by that angle. The angle can be specified in degrees or radians, depending on whether the degrees() or radians() function has been called. For example, Turtle.left(90) would turn the turtle left by 90 degrees.

Python

Import the turtle module

From turtle import *

Move the turtle forward by 100 units

Forward(100)

Change the direction of the turtle by 90 degrees to the left

Left(90)

Move the turtle forward again by 100 units

Forward(100)

The Turtle.forward() and Turtle.left() methods can be used in combination to create more complex shapes and patterns. For example, you can use them to draw a square:

Python

Draw a square

Forward(100)

Left(90)

Forward(100)

Left(90)

Forward(100)

Left(90)

Forward(100)

Left(90)

You can also use these methods to draw a circle. However, keep in mind that a circle is a continuous curve, and the Turtle.forward() and Turtle.left() methods create line segments and angles. To draw a circle, you need to approximate it with a polygon by using a large number of small line segments and angles. Here is an example of how to draw a circle with a radius of 50:

Python

Draw a circle with a radius of 50

Circle(50)

The Turtle module provides a variety of other methods to create different shapes and patterns. You can also customize the appearance of the turtle and the drawing canvas.

Turtle.hideturtle() and Turtle.showturtle() methods

The Turtle module in Python provides turtle graphics primitives in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. The Turtle.hideturtle() and Turtle.showturtle() methods can be used to hide and show the turtle drawing icon, respectively. This can be particularly helpful during or after the drawing to improve the visibility or aesthetics of the turtle drawing. The default state of the turtle is .showturtle(), but you can use .hideturtle() to hide the turtle. Drawings will still proceed, but you just won't see the turtle icon that makes the drawing.

Python

Import turtle

Hide the turtle

Turtle.hideturtle()

Show the turtle again

Turtle.showturtle()

You can also use the .isvisible() method to check if the turtle is currently visible or hidden. This method will return True if the turtle is shown and False if it is hidden.

Python

Import turtle

Hide the turtle

Turtle.hideturtle()

Check if the turtle is visible

If not turtle.isvisible():

Print("The turtle is hidden")

Show the turtle again

Turtle.showturtle()

Check if the turtle is visible

If turtle.isvisible():

Print("The turtle is visible")

Additionally, you can set the visibility of the turtle when you first create it by passing the visible keyword argument to the Turtle constructor. For example:

Python

Import turtle

Create a turtle that is initially hidden

My_turtle = turtle.Turtle(visible=False)

Show the turtle

My_turtle.showturtle()

Hiding the turtle can be useful when you are performing complex drawings or animations, as it can speed up the drawing process. However, keep in mind that hiding the turtle may not always be necessary, and it is generally a good idea to provide visual feedback to the user when running your code.

Turtle.setpos() and Turtle.goto() methods

The Turtle module in Python provides turtle graphics primitives in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. The turtle.setpos() and turtle.goto() methods are used to move the turtle to an absolute position. The syntax for these methods is:

Python

Turtle.setpos(x, y=None)

Turtle.setposition(x, y=None)

Turtle.goto(x, y=None)

Here, `x` is the x-coordinate of a Vec2D-vector and `y` is the y-coordinate of a Vec2D-vector. For example:

Python

Forward turtle by 100

Stamp the turtle shape

Set the position by using setpos()

Turtle.setpos(-50, 50)

Forward turtle by 100

Stamp the turtle shape

Set the position by using goto()

Turtle.goto(-50, -50)

The `turtle.setpos()` and `turtle.goto()` methods are aliases of each other, meaning they perform the same function. The only difference is that with `goto()`, the turtle will move to the specified position, whereas with `setpos()`, it will teleport.

To avoid drawing while positioning the turtle, you can combine these methods with the penup() and pendown() methods.

Turtle.speed() method

The Turtle module in Python provides turtle graphics primitives in both object-oriented and procedure-oriented ways. The Turtle.speed() method is used to change the speed of the turtle by the value of the argument that it takes. The speed of the turtle lies in the range of 0 to 10. If the input is a number greater than 10 or smaller than 0.5, the speed is set to 0.

The speed strings are mapped to speed values in the following way:

• Speeds from 1 to 10 enforce increasingly faster animation of line drawing and turtle turning.
• 0: Fastest speed
• 5: Mid-speed setting

Python

Import turtle

Turtle.speed(10)

For i in range(10):

Turtle.forward(200)

Turtle.left(90)

You can adjust the speed property to see the different effects on the turtle's speed.

Frequently asked questions