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)

The Power of Lists

You will now look at the first type of data structure in Python: lists.

A list is a type of container in Python that is used to store multiple data sets at the same time. Python lists are often compared to arrays in other programming languages, but they do a lot more.

Figure 2.2: A Python list with a positive index

A list in Python is written within square brackets, [ ]. Each element in the list has its own distinct position and index. The elements in a list have a finite sequence. Like other programming languages, the index of the first item of a list is 0, and the second item has an index of 1, and so on. This has to do with how lists are implemented at a lower programming level, so do take note of this when you are writing index-based operations for lists and other iterable objects.

You will now look at the different ways that lists can be useful by completing Exercise 21, Working with Python Lists.

Exercise 21: Working with...