Python for Data Science: Introducing Data Science

Name: Python for Data Science: Introducing Data Science
Author: Nizar Dajani

Learn why Python is good fit for data science

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Course: On-Demand

You. In this lesson, you will learn about the history of Python, the programming language. Python is a high level language that has become one of the most popular programming languages in the world. And what does high level actually mean? Well, it means it's written in plain, simple human language. So you and I can type it up, can read it and understand it. But computers don't understand human language. They only understand one machine language, which is called binary. And this binary language only has two characters, zeros and ones. For example, here are some English characters and their equivalents in binary code. So, as you can imagine, it's much easier to write code in plain English than it is to write code using machine language. In fact, let me take you to a website that does some translation from English to binary. Right off the bat, you can see that the English letters of A-B-C are displayed as binary down here. So the A is this group of zeros and ones, while the B is this group of zeros and ones, and the C is this group of zeros and ones. Now, aren't you glad you didn't have to write code in binary language? So, for example, if I want to type, hello, world, the computer would interpret it as this binary code. This would be the letter H, this would be the letter E, and this is L, and this is L. As well, as you can see, they are the same binary code. Since it's the same letter, then this is the binary code for the letter O. So again, it's a blessing to write code in plain letters instead of writing code in binary. Now, I always like to understand how things started out, so let me take you on a quick history tour to explain how Python came to be. And it all started with a Dutch software engineer called Guido van Rossam. He started out as a junior programmer at CWI, which is the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science in the Netherlands, which is better known by the country name of Holland. Van Rossam and his research team wanted to develop a language which would enable people without programming experience, like scientists and data analysts, to start writing computer programs fairly quickly. So for about a year or so, he worked on creating a new language that filled a need. This took place towards the end of the 1980s, and the Internet was not yet publicly available. But there existed a communication tool called Usenet, and Vanrossam posted his work there to distribute Python to the world. And it didn't take long for programmers around the world to take notice. And eventually, Van Rasam became known as the benevolent dictator of Python. So in this video, you learned about the history of Python. And stay tuned for the next lesson, where you will learn why Python became such a popular programming language. Thank you for watching.

Beginner Provider : Nizar Dajani 5 Lessons · 31m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

In this course on Introducing Data Science, you will learn about the history of Python and why it’s a great fit for data science. You will also download and install different tools to write Python code, like IDLE, PyCharm, Anaconda, and Jupyter Notebook.

Python was first developed in the late 1980s and was released to the world in the early 1990s. The simplicity of the syntax and user-friendly code made it the go-to programming language for both developers and non-developers. The reason was in the design. The creator of Python, Guido van Rossum, wanted to develop a programming language that could be used by non-programing audience, like scientists. The course will walk you through downloading and installing Python and how to use as a few of its most popular tools. You will be able to write Python code in no time.

What You'll Learn

Describe the history of Python and the reasons for its popularity
Recognize the different Python tools, including IDLE, PyCharm, Anaconda, and Jupyter Notebook
Explain how to download and install Python
Install the tools used to write Python code
Write basic Python code using its most popular tools

Key Takeaways

Python was first developed in the late 1980s and released to the world in the early 1990s.
The simplicity of its syntax and user-friendly code made Python a go-to language for both developers and non-developers.
Python's creator, Guido van Rossum, designed the language so it could be used by a non-programming audience, such as scientists.
The course covers downloading and installing Python along with using a few of its most popular tools, including IDLE, PyCharm, Anaconda, and Jupyter Notebook.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

It covers the history of Python and why it fits data science, and it walks you through downloading and installing Python and using a few of its most popular tools like IDLE, PyCharm, Anaconda, and Jupyter Notebook.

Do I need prior programming experience to take this course?

Python was designed by its creator, Guido van Rossum, so it could be used by a non-programming audience, such as scientists, and its user-friendly code makes it accessible to both developers and non-developers.

Which Python tools will I learn about?

You will learn about IDLE, PyCharm, Anaconda, and Jupyter Notebook, including how to download and install them.

What skills are associated with this course?

The course relates to Data Science, Jupyter, Pandas, Python, Scikit-Learn, and SciPy.

What lessons are included?

The lessons are History of Python; Why Is it so Popular?; Download and Install; Tools: IDLE/PyCharm; and Tools: Anaconda/Jupyter.