How to Learn Python for Data Science

Python is a prevalent programming language. It uses high-level data structures and provides us with the benefits of object-oriented programming (OOP). The coding used in Python is user-friendly as it is a very high-level programming language. Therefore a mit data science course can help you with your data science projects, and, in this article, we discuss why you should learn Python and how you can learn Python ProjectPro Data Science Projects.

Why Should You Learn Python?

There are numerous reasons why anyone should learn Python. You may learn it because:

• You want to learn a back-end programming language that you can incorporate with C/C /Java or most other popular front-end programming languages. The good thing about Python is that it can also be used as a front-end language. So, in either case, learning Python gives you an edge. 
• Python is easy to learn and use. You do not need prior experience in coding to learn Python. The syntax of Python is easily understandable. Since it is a high-level language, the code looks very much like English. With a bit of logic and practice, you may soon master it. It is also very interactive. 
• It supports dynamic data types. In dynamic data type, you do not need to specify the type of data you want to use. You can store any data in the variable. Also, the initialization of data is not compulsory. Like in most programming languages, we declare whether a data is of type string or number. Here, we can straightaway write the variable name without declaring the data type.
• It supports OOP (Object Oriented Programming). OOPs, features help you do neat and organized coding. It supports some great features like encapsulation and inheritance. Encapsulation is how we wrap the data so that only vital information is available for the user. The unwanted data is hidden inside the wrapper. E.g., a TV on;y the TV screen is visible to the user, but how the TV is running and all the wiring is hidden inside the case. Inheritance, as the name suggests, is like inheriting or getting something from the parents. In programming, it helps us reduce code lines as only one parent class is made. You can then make as many child nodes to it as required. The child nodes can access all or some features of the parent node, thereby reducing the time and effort of writing code.  
• It can be run on a wide variety of hardware platforms. Installing and running it is straightforward. Even after installing the Python software, it is not compulsory to only execute the code from that particular software. You need to save a file as .py, and then you can even run it from your command prompt. You can even write the code on Visual Studio Code and run it on its terminal.

For more features of Python, you may visit the official Python website to read the documentation. Here is the link for the same: https://www.python.org/doc/

You Would Now Love to Learn Python But, how?

If you want to learn Beginner’s level Python, you may learn it using the online tutorials. But, if you’re going to learn it at an intermediate or advanced level, you are suggested to take up a Python course for it.

There are various videos available online from where you can refer and practice at home. These sites are just examples for reference. You may check other websites based on your preference. 

Learning Python is relatively easy. To run a Python code, you will have to download the Python software available for free online. I am going to tell you about the original Python site from where you can download it.

• Visit the original site www.python.org.
• Take your mouse over ‘Downloads.’
• Choose your Operating system (Windows/Mac)
• Click on the first link, which is usually the latest version of Python. It will be in the form of ‘Latest Python X release – Pyhton x.x.x.’
• A new page will open. Scroll down a little and go to ‘Files.’
• Choose whether you want the embedded package for 32-bit or 64-bit
• Once you click on that, you will be asked to download it.
• If you are sure about the kind of settings required, it is advised to go for Default Settings, or else, you may go for Custom Settings.
• Then finish the setup.
• It will ask you to ‘Install it now.’ Click on it.
• Your Python will then be installed.

After installing the software, you would like to run it as well. For that, there are several ways. You may run it in the Command Prompt or Visual Studio Code or IDLE Python etc.

Writing your first code on Python is as easy as writing your name on a book. 

E.g. 1: If you want to store your name in a variable and then print it, then write: 

name = “xyz”

print(name)

This will print xyz on your console. Yes, it is that easy.

E.g. 2: In case you want to print number on the console, then you can write:

num = 10

print(num)

This will give you the output of 10 on-screen.

E.g. 3: If you want to display the name by concatenating it with another string, then write:

name = “xyz”

print(“Hello “,name)

This will print Hello xyz on the screen.

These are just some beginners examples. You will see how easy it is to write the first piece of code. 

Some useful websites will give us meaningful and required information on Python. Some of them are:

TutorialsPoint:

Tutorialspoint is a great website to know all about Python. It starts from the basic tutorial and guides you about the syntax and programming constructs like operators, numbers, string, array, functions, modules. loop, date and time, etc. It also covers advanced concepts like classes/objects, CGI Programming, GUI Programming, XML Processing, networking, database access. Apart from this, it also has some valuable resources to find questions and answers, tools, guides, utilities, etc. 

Real Python:

Another excellent website for learning python is ‘Real python. You can think of this site as a one-stop solution to your learning. Right from installation to great learning tutorial videos, it has everything in it. It will guide you step-by-step for everything. This is very much like learning it in a University where you are given the full theoretical explanation, and then you are shown how to do it practically. You will like this site if you are thinking of learning it well. Python.org

My last but not the least suggestion is the original website of Python itself. On that site, everything is written in such a way that even a beginner can understand it. It contains a-z of Python. The writing style of this website is very lucid and engaging. It covers the maximum topics which I believe are not covered in any of the websites. I recommend you to try the website link: The Python Tutorial — Python 3.9.6 documentation. 

Python libraries for Data Science

Different programs require different libraries. Here is a list of the widely used libraries in Python for Data Science.

I hope you will feel motivated to learn Python after reading this article, and you will be able to do great coding with it. Happy learning!

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