Python Programming and Visualization for Scientists - Softcover

DeCaria, Alex J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0972903380 ISBN 13: 9780972903387

Publisher: Sundog Publishing, LLC, 2016

Synopsis

Python has rapidly become a dominant language in the scientific community for analyzing and visualizing data, in part due to its concise, intuitive syntax and free availability without the purchase of an expensive license. The syntax of the language itself is easy to pick up, but learning how to plot, visualize, and analyze scientific data has required more effort in the past, as the relevant resources are spread across the Internet. Hence, the idea for this book. Specifically, the author wrote it from the perspective of, "What book would I have wanted to have when I was transitioning to Python?"

This book will be useful not only as a classroom text but also as a guide and reference for students, educators, and researchers who have some programming experience already and want to start creating plots and analyzing data using Python. It is not meant for the person who is completely new to programming, nor is it an introductory computer science textbook. The author s assumption is that the reader has some experience programming, though not necessarily with Python.

Although the new Python programmer may wish to read the book cover to cover, the book is organized such that the experienced Python programmer who wants to get started in plotting data can readily jump to the appropriate chapter. The last few chapters include topics that are more advanced, such as using regular expressions for matching text patterns, performing spectral analysis of data, and solving systems of linear equations.

About this title

About the Author

Alex J. DeCaria is a professor of meteorology at Millersville University, where among other courses he teaches a class in Python programming and visualization for undergraduate meteorology and ocean sciences majors. He has also taught a Short Course on Introductory Python for the American Meteorological Society. He is lead author as well of A First Course in Atmospheric Numerical Modeling. His other courses at Millersville University include atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, physical meteorology, tropical meteorology, and geographic information systems. He is also a former meteorology and oceanography officer with the U.S. Navy.

Review

"[W]what sets Alex DeCaria apart from other Python authors? For me it is his clarity of writing, approachable style, and scientific judgment on which topics to cover. He's a working scientist who has taught scientific programming extensively, and it shows in the truly practical nature of Python Programming and Visualization for Scientists." - Dr. George S. Young, Professor of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University "This is the most self-contained, organized, and clearly explained introduction I have seen to not only the Python language itself but to the essential Python libraries for plotting and analysis in the sciences." - Grant W. Petty, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Edition details

• Publisher: Sundog Publishing, LLC
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0972903380
• ISBN 13: 9780972903387
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 294