Week 7 - BALT 4396 - Learning Python with ChatGPT and Google Colab Chapters 8-10

Python Libraries & NumPy

Libraries

A library is a package of pre-written code that can be imported into Python script where it provides a set of functions, classes, and methods that can be used to perform specific tasks. These tasks are usually advanced in nature and don't have to be written from scratch each time.

Libraries are typically written in Python, however, some may come from other programming languages. These can range from general libraries like NumPy and Pandas for data-focused tasks to even Pygame for game development and or Flask for web development.

Package managers like pip or conda are typical ways these libraries are installed. Once installed and imported, its functions, classes, and methods can be used as needed within the script. Google Colab is a great setting for those interested in dipping their feet in the water of Python libraries.

NumPy

NumPy is a Python library that is used for numerical computing. Machine learning and data science are typical settings for this to be used and it supports very large collections of mathematical functions, among other things. Importing it is as simple as using the import command.

NumPy can be extremely useful in interpreting data for data scientists because it gives them all the information they need from a given data set. From general interpretation to complex computations, NumPy can handle it.