Python and Matplotlib Essentials for Scientists and Engineers

This book provides an introduction to the core features of the Python programming language and Matplotlib plotting routings for scientists and engineers (or students of either discipline) who want to use Python™ to analyse data, simulate physical processes, and render publication-quality plots. No previous programming experience is needed before reading the first page. Readers will learn the core features of the Python programming language in under a day. They will be able to immediately use Python to implement codes that solve their own problems and make beautiful plots and animations. Python code is extremely fast to prototype, allowing users to achieve results quickly and accurately. The examples within the book are available for download at the companion website pythonessentials.com. Python and Matplotlib Essentials for Scientists and Engineers is accessible for motivated high-school students, but will likely be most useful for undergraduate and graduate students as well as working professionals who have some background with the basic mathematical concepts. This book is intended for technical people who want to get things done.

Matt A Wood graduated with a BS degree in Physics from Iowa State University, and Master's and PhD degrees in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. He spent a year as a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Université de Montreal in Quebec before accepting a position as assistant professor at The Florida Institute of Technology. He spent the 2008-2009 academic year on sabbatical at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, where he was first introduced to the Python programming language. In 2012, he joined the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Texas A&M University-Commerce as department head. His current research focuses on mass-transfer binary star systems known as cataclysmic variables. He has been an author on more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, and a similar number of non-refereed publications. He lives in Greenville, Texas, and when not doing astronomy or administrative tasks he enjoys playing guitar and bass, walking his Doberman, Dexter, and exploring the world with his wife Janie.