Python Milestone

One of the first tasks of our UROP researchers is to learn enough of the Python programming language to do interesting work on the project. For this project, we'll want to learn

• how to install a copy of Python on your computer;
• how formulas work (w = x * y + z);
• common types of data (integers, reals, logicals);
• how to print out results;
• useful library functions (abs, max, min, sqrt );
• conditional statements (if, while);
• loops, and how to jump out of them;
• the use of random numbers;
• creating, initializing and referencing arrays of data;
• importing functions from numpy or scipy;
• creating, saving, and using a function;

The natural place to start when looking for help on Python is python.org, which includes the item "Get Started", which will help you to download and install Python, access documentation, and a variety of tutorials you can work through. You can also look into Code Academy, a free online site which will interactively guide you through an introduction to Python that takes about 13 hours total to complete.