Python for Science

This module provides an introduction to using Python for students pursuing a degree in the sciences. It covers concepts in algorithms and the Python language, but the focus is primarily on practical applications in the sciences. The examples will therefore address issues related to other first-year courses.

Learn how to use Python in a scientific context.

This includes (i) getting started with the digital environment (on Linux), (ii) the fundamentals of the Python language needed to write simple programs, (iii) the algorithmic approach, which involves making a concrete problem solvable by a computer program, and (iv) the use of tools to process and analyze results (and, in particular, the creation of graphs).

High School Science Level

CCI

Course Outline:

→ Getting started with the environment (Linux, file management, text editors, IDEs)

→ Python concepts (imperative programming: variables, functions, “duck typing,” lists, logical conditions, loops, etc.)

→ algorithmic approach (breaking down a problem)

→ looking for errors in code: “debugging”

→ Python as a Tool for the Sciences

→ Visualization of mathematical functions and numerical data

→ NumPy and Matplotlib (Practical Applications)

→ exploration of several specific fields of science (mathematics, physics, chemistry, electronics, mechanics, etc.)