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

Our experience with computers is a machine with a huge volume of carefully organized logic. No one piece of this logic is necessarily complex or can capture what drives the result. Rather, the entire system is organized such that it comes together to provide the output you expect.

In previous chapters, you focused on the basic Python idioms and data types. In this chapter, you will begin exploring more abstract concepts regarding how knowledge is formalized through logic in Python. You will explore a few fundamental algorithms that are used for solving typical problems in computer science, along with some simple logic.

For example, consider the problem of sorting a list of integers. Supermarkets use sorting techniques to sort through their customers to get an insight into the sales an individual customer provides. You may be surprised at the theoretical complexity behind writing such an algorithm in an efficient manner.

In this chapter, you will also learn about...