Introduction to Python for Data Science

General-purpose programming language.

Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language that has gained popularity due to its readability and simplicity. It is widely used in various fields, including web development, automation, and most importantly, data science. This unit will provide an introduction to Python, focusing on its application in data science.

Understanding the Python Programming Language

Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released in 1991. It emphasizes code readability, allowing programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of code than might be possible in languages such as C++ or Java. Python supports multiple programming paradigms, including procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming.

Installing Python and Setting Up the Development Environment

To start coding in Python, you need to install it on your computer. You can download Python from the official website. After installing Python, you need to set up a development environment. There are several Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) available for Python, such as PyCharm, Jupyter Notebook, and Spyder. These IDEs provide a user-friendly interface for coding in Python and offer features like code completion and debugging tools.

Basic Python Syntax and Data Types

Python syntax is straightforward and easy to learn. Here are some basic rules:

• Python uses indentation to define code blocks, unlike other programming languages which use braces.
• Statements in Python typically end with a new line. Python does, however, allow the use of the line continuation character () to denote that the line should continue.
• Python supports the following data types: Numbers (int, float, complex), String, List, Tuple, Set, and Dictionary.

Control Structures in Python

Control structures in Python include if, for, and while statements, which are used for conditional execution or looping, allowing the program to react to different conditions and execute different sequences of instructions accordingly.

• The if statement is used for conditional execution. It executes a set of statements if a certain condition is true.
• The for loop in Python is used to iterate over a sequence (like a list, tuple, dictionary, set, or string) or other iterable objects.
• The while loop in Python is used to iterate over a block of code as long as the test expression (condition) is true.

By the end of this unit, you should have a basic understanding of Python, including how to install it, its basic syntax, data types, and control structures. This knowledge will serve as a foundation for the next units, where we will delve into Python libraries for data science and data visualization.