Python

Python is a programming language gaining popularity in the sciences. It's open source, free, and an array of existing libraries mean you can often find code that will do some task for you.

Python is also used outside science and engineering as a general scripting language, on the web, and powering desktop applications. There is a large, global community of Python users across many disciplines, making it a useful language to know when your work starts to intersect with that of others outside your lab or team.

Useful Python Links

Core Python

• Main Python Docs

  • http://docs.python.org/

• Global Module Index

  • Built in modules like os, sys, datetime, math, random...
  • http://docs.python.org/modindex.html

• Built-in Functions

  • Built-in, always available functions like open, range, enumerate,

zip...

• http://docs.python.org/library/functions.html

• String Formatting

  • http://docs.python.org/library/string.html#formatstrings

Python in Science

• NumPy

  • Fast arrays, used by almost every scientific Python package

• SciPy

  • Minimization, fitting, solvers, statistics, and more

• matplotlib

  • 2D and 3D plotting, maps

• AstroPy for astronomy

• Biopython for bioinformatics

• Sage for mathematic analysis

• SymPy for symbolic mathematics

• pandas data analysis and stats for categorical and time series data

IPython Notebook

The Introduction to Python tutorial will be taught using the IPython notebook.

Launching the IPython Notebook

1. At the command line, cd to the 2-PythonIntro directory.
2. Type ipython notebook.

• This should open a new tab in a web browser. (We suggest Firefox.)
• You should see a list of existing notebooks in the 2-PythonIntro directory. Clicking on one will open it in a new tab.

3. Click the Exercises notebook to open it in a new tab. This contains the exercises you will work on today.
4. Go back to the first tab opened by ipython and click the 'New Notebook' button. You can use this notebook as your scratch pad today. Feel free to rename and save it.

IPython Notebook Commands

• shift-Enter: run the current cell
• control-m h: show keyboard shortcuts
• control-m m: convert cell to a text cell
• control-m c: convert cell to a code cell
• control-m d: delete cell
• control-m a: insert a new cell above the current cell
• control-m b: insert a new cell below the current cell