Python: Introduction and Software Packages

Knowledge of a computer programming language to analyze data and perform calculations is a crucial part of a physicists toolbox. Below you find links that allow you to install a Python distribution together with a set of modules (LabTools) specifically designed for typical analysis and visualization tasks that you my encounter during your studies. This set is by no means complete and more advanced tools and methods are available. The goal of these tools is to get you started quickly and help you performing quantitative analysis tasks as easily as possible.

• Help on installing a Python distribution is presented in the following tutorial: Data Analysis with LabTools

• Documentation on the modules of LabTools you can find here. It contains the descriptions of the content and the various possibilities of the various tools.

• A short introduction to Python you can find in Python Fundamentals This should be the absolut minimum to go work through to get an idea on how to work with Python.

• Data Analysis with LabTools includes the previous point and more information on how to install and setup Python and how to perform various analysis tasks. I also strongly encourage your go through this entire tutorial. it also contains a few examples of defining useful functions.

• A Summary of Error Analysis and Statistical Methods provides information about accuracy, precision and error propagation and gives a few concrete examples. It also shows the basic principles of least squares fitting.

• The Scipy Lecture Notes are another excellent introduction to scientific computation and visualization (plotting) using Python.