Book Image

The Python Workshop

By : Olivier Pons, Andrew Bird, Dr. Lau Cher Han, Mario Corchero Jiménez, Graham Lee, Corey Wade
Book Image

The Python Workshop

By: Olivier Pons, Andrew Bird, Dr. Lau Cher Han, Mario Corchero Jiménez, Graham Lee, Corey Wade

Overview of this book

Have you always wanted to learn Python, but never quite known how to start? More applications than we realize are being developed using Python because it is easy to learn, read, and write. You can now start learning the language quickly and effectively with the help of this interactive tutorial. The Python Workshop starts by showing you how to correctly apply Python syntax to write simple programs, and how to use appropriate Python structures to store and retrieve data. You'll see how to handle files, deal with errors, and use classes and methods to write concise, reusable, and efficient code. As you advance, you'll understand how to use the standard library, debug code to troubleshoot problems, and write unit tests to validate application behavior. You'll gain insights into using the pandas and NumPy libraries for analyzing data, and the graphical libraries of Matplotlib and Seaborn to create impactful data visualizations. By focusing on entry-level data science, you'll build your practical Python skills in a way that mirrors real-world development. Finally, you'll discover the key steps in building and using simple machine learning algorithms. By the end of this Python book, you'll have the knowledge, skills and confidence to creatively tackle your own ambitious projects with Python.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)

Introduction

Computer algorithms enable machines to learn from data. The more data an algorithm receives, the more capable the algorithm is of detecting underlying patterns within the data. In Chapter 10, Data Analytics with pandas and NumPy, you learned how to view and analyze big data with pandas and NumPy. In this chapter, we will now extend these concepts to building algorithms that learn from data.

Consider how a child learns to identify a cat. Generally speaking, a child learns by having someone point out "That's a cat," "No, that's a dog," and so on. After enough cats and non-cats have been pointed out, the child knows how to identify a cat.

Machine learning implements the same general approach. A convolutional neural network is a machine learning algorithm that distinguishes between images. Upon receiving images labeled cats and non-cats, the algorithm looks for underlying patterns within the pixels by adjusting the parameters of an equation...