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1.1) What Is Python?


Python is a programming language that is:

  • Versatile: it can be used in different styles of programming and for different purposes, for scripting (as with bash) for writing programs (as with Fortran) or for writing object oriented code (as with C++).
  • Interactive: Python doesn’t need to be compiled. It’s an interpreted language, dynamically typed in an interpreter. This makes it quick to write code.
  • Easy to read, easy to learn - thanks to its sleek syntax.

Python is much more than a programming language; it’s a comprehensive scientific computation tool thanks to the multitude of packages available. Packages are bundles of Python code that enhance its capabilities. With these, Python becomes a powerful and popular tool that can be used in place of Matlab, IDL, R, Fortran, bash and many other specialised software packages. It is platform-independent (works on Mac, Linux, Windows...), open-source and free! What more could you want?!

The downside (yes, there is one!): Because Python is dynamically typed, calculations are slower than with a compiled language, such as Fortran or C++. However, there are several packages that aim to accelerate computations in Python.