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2017-01-18T14:50:11Z

‎Introduction to Python

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{{PHYS212-2017}}

Most important thing to note about these lectures:
: You won't learn Python by reading. You have to try coding. If you have a question how a certain expression works, type it in Python console, and test it!

==Introduction to Python==
*Algorithmic thinking
**Example: opening a door
**Different levels of algorithms
*Basic parts needed to design an algorithm
**State (or memory)
**Rules for transforming states (operations, functions, procedures)
**Rules for making decisions
*Assignment operation (vs. testing for equality)
**Variable is a pointer to a container (object) in memory where a state is stored. (This is not quite correct; we will return to this later).
*Anaconda distribution / Spyder development environment
**How to launch it
**Console vs. editor plus additional tools
**Syntax highlighting / code analyzer
*Basic syntaxes
**Resetting the state of the system
**Asking for help with ? and with Google
**Built-in functions, like ''print''
**Numbers; note that j is the imaginary unit, not i
***Are numbers real or integer?
**Arithmetic operations, +, -, *, /, **.
**Parentheses
**Importing modules and functions from modules
***numpy as np and matplotlib.pyplot as plt
;Exercise:
We will solve a quadratic equation a*x**2+b*x+c=0 for a=1, b=2, c=-3. Do this by
#Resetting the environment
#Importing sqrt function from numpy
#Assigning values to a, b, c
#Evaluating both solutions using the standard formula you learned in middle school
#Printing both solutions
*More syntaxes
**Functions have arguments; keyword arguments
**Functions return values
**Functions can otherwise change Python state
;Exercise:
Evaluate a binary log (log base 2) of a number 42 using at least three different sets of commands. Verify your result by taking 2 to the appropriate power and seeing if you get 42 back.

'''Don't forget to [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNvrPddCgvMfHdlSA8uYDddBFqLK81Rrr4l7jfozud6J7iww/viewform submit your work] at the end of the class.'''

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