Book Image

Principles of Data Science

Book Image

Principles of Data Science

Overview of this book

Need to turn your skills at programming into effective data science skills? Principles of Data Science is created to help you join the dots between mathematics, programming, and business analysis. With this book, you’ll feel confident about asking—and answering—complex and sophisticated questions of your data to move from abstract and raw statistics to actionable ideas. With a unique approach that bridges the gap between mathematics and computer science, this books takes you through the entire data science pipeline. Beginning with cleaning and preparing data, and effective data mining strategies and techniques, you’ll move on to build a comprehensive picture of how every piece of the data science puzzle fits together. Learn the fundamentals of computational mathematics and statistics, as well as some pseudocode being used today by data scientists and analysts. You’ll get to grips with machine learning, discover the statistical models that help you take control and navigate even the densest datasets, and find out how to create powerful visualizations that communicate what your data means.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
Principles of Data Science
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Mathematics as a discipline


Mathematics, as a science, is one of the oldest known forms of logical thinking by mankind. Since ancient Mesopotamia and likely before (3,000 BCE), humans have been relying on arithmetic and more challenging forms of math to answer life's biggest questions.

Today, we rely on math for most aspects of our daily life; yes, I know that sounds cliché, but I mean it. Whether you are watering your plants or feeding your dog, your internal mathematical engine is constantly spinning—calculating how much water the plant had per day over the last week and predicting the next time your dog will be hungry given that they eat right now. Whether or not you are consciously using the principles of math, the concepts live deep inside everyone's brains. It's my job as a math teacher to get you to realize it.