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)

Cross-Validation

In cross-validation, also known as CV, the training data is split into five folds (any number will do, but five is standard). The machine learning algorithm is fit on one fold at a time and tested on the remaining data. The result is five different training and test sets that are all representative of the same data. The mean of the scores is usually taken as the accuracy of the model.

Note

Five is only one suggestion. Any natural number may be used.

Cross-validation is a core tool for machine learning. Mean test scores on different folds will always be more reliable than one mean test score on the entire set, which we performed in the first exercise. When examining one test score, there is no way of knowing whether it is low or high. Five test scores give a better picture of the accuracy of the model.

Cross-validation can be implemented in a variety of ways. A standard approach is to use cross_val_score, which returns an array of scores for each fold; cross_val_score...