Introducing Python

Python is one of the most popular programming languages, widely used for data analysis and modelling, and is fast becoming the leading choice for scientists and engineers. Unlike other textbooks introducing Python, typically organised by language syntax, this book uses many examples from across Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth science, and Engineering to teach and motivate students in science and engineering. The text is organised by the tasks and workflows students undertake day-to-day, helping them see the connections between programming tools and their disciplines. The pace of study is carefully developed for complete beginners, and a spiral pedagogy is used so concepts are introduced across multiple chapters, allowing readers to engage with topics more than once. “Try This!” exercises and online Jupyter notebooks encourage students to test their new knowledge, and further develop their programming skills. Online solutions are available for instructors, alongside discipline-specif

Hallmark FeaturesIntroduces the fundamental constructs of contemporary programming languages•Critical evaluation of existing and future programming languages gives students the necessary tools for evaluating on their own.•An in-depth discussion of programming language structures, presenting a formal method of describing syntax, and introducing approaches to lexical and syntax analysis prepare students for the study of compiler design.•Coverage of advanced object-oriented topics and languages is integrated throughout.Addresses the most up-to-date information in this field•New - New material on Swift, a contemporary programming language, is now part of several chapters.•New - Section on Delphi now included in Chapter 2.•New - Section on optional types is included in Chapter 6.•New and Updated - Content describing iterations in Python are part of Chapter 8.•Revised - To ensure the material remains relevant to students, sections on outdated languages (specifically Lua and Objective-C) have