Scientific Programming with Python

Python is a freely distributable high-level computer programming language that has become very popular for everything from scripting applications and web-page generation to solving scientific problems and building applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Python shares many basic characteristics with languages like Mathematica, Matlab, and Labview, and has an extensive set of numerical and scientific modules. These include:

• NumPy, which extends Python’s basic numerical capabilities;
• SciPy, which allows you to solve complex scientific and mathematical problems in an efficient manner;
• Pandas, which provides data structures and statistical capabilities similar to those in R; and
• Matplotlib, to plot data nicely.

This course will focus on analyzing natural and social science problems, introducing enough Python to implement them and learn how it is used.

“A well-written program is its own Heaven; a poorly-written program is its own Hell.” — The Tao of Programming