Data Science for Beginners: Introduction to Python
With businesses and organizations waking up to the benefits of data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning as revealed in discussions over at runrex.com, the demand for Python developers has never been higher. Being well-versed with Python is crucial for any aspiring data scientist. If you are wondering what it is, and why, then wonder no more as this article will look to make an introduction of what Python is all about, with a more detailed write-up on the same to be found over at the excellent guttulus.com.
Python, as is covered in more detail over at runrex.com, is an interactive, general-purpose interpreted, high-level, and object-oriented programming language that was created by Guido van Rossum in 1989. It is designed, ideally, for rapid prototyping of complex applications, and just like Perl, its source code is also available under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Python has interfaces to many OS system calls and libraries and is extensible to C++ or C. It is an extremely popular programming language, used by many large companies such as NASA, Google, YouTube, and many others. Python programming is widely used in advanced fields of computer science such as Natural Language, Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks, and many others highlighted over at guttulus.com. Not only is it open-source as mentioned earlier on, but it also has lots of libraries for various implementations, which is one of the reasons why it is so popular. An interesting piece of trivia as far as Python is concerned is that the origin of its name was inspired by the comedy series, ‘Monty Python’. The use of Python provides us with endless possibilities as it can be used in data science, machine learning, AI, web development, software development, system scripting, mathematics, and so much more. As you probably know, if you want to work with any programming language, then you must be familiar with an IDE. The setup for Python’s IDE can be found on ‘python.org’ which you can then proceed to install on your system. This installation is not only easy, but it also comes with IDLE to help you write Python programs. Once you have installed Python on your system, then you will be all set to write programs in Python programming language.
Why Python?
You may be wondering why you should study Python, and the following tips will highlight some of the key tips that show why Python is so popular.
- Python works on different platforms including Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi, Mac, and many others as covered in detail over at runrex.com.
- Python also has a syntax that allows developers to write programs with fewer lines as compared to the other programming languages.
- Another reason why Python is so popular is that it can be treated in a procedural way, an object-oriented way, or a functional way.
- Python also has a simple syntax that is similar to the English language.
- Python runs on an interpreter system, which means that code can be executed as soon as it is written. This is another reason why Python is so popular as it means that prototyping can be very quick.
- Python is also interactive, which, as per the gurus over at guttulus.com, means that you can sit a Python prompt and interact with the interpreter directly to write your programs.
- It is also worth noting that Python is a great language for beginner-level programmers as it supports the development of a wide range of applications from simple text processing to WWW browsers, and even games.
Python is also:
- Easy-to-learn as it has a few keywords, simple structure, and a clearly defined syntax making it easier for students to pick it up quickly.
- Easy-to-read as Python code is more clearly defined and visible to the eyes.
- Easy-to-maintain. Its source code is fairly easy-to-maintain.
- Portable and can run on a wide variety of hardware platforms and has the same interface on all platforms
- Scalable given that it provides a better structure and support for large programs than shell scripting as explained over at runrex.com.
- Extendable given that you can add low-level modules to the Python interpreter which will enable programmers to add or customize their tools to be more efficient.
What are some of Python’s main characteristics?
- It is a platform-independent scripted language with full access to operating system APIs
- It provides rich data types and easier-to-read syntax as compared to the other programming languages.
- Also, when compared to the other programming languages, it allows more run-time flexibility.
- A module in Python may have one or more classes and free functions.
- Python can be compiled to byte-code when building large applications.
- Python supports interactive mode, allowing interacting testing and debugging of snippets of code.
- It includes the basic text manipulation facilities found in Perl and Awk.
- Given that there is no compilation step in Python, editing, debugging, and testing is fast.
It is also worth pointing out that, as explained over at guttulus.com, the most recent version of Python is Python 3, although Python 2 is still very popular. Also, it is entirely possible to write Python in an Integrated Development Environment like Thonny, NetBeans, or Eclipse, which are particularly useful when managing larger collections of Python files.
Python is commonly used by programmers to:
- Program various scientific programs like statistical programs
- Program video games
- Build Artificial Intelligence algorithms
The above are some of the things you should know about Python, with more on the topic to be found over at the highly-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com.