If you’re entirely new to programming, we recommend you complete a beginner-level course in Python before taking this course. While the lectures will focus on the mathematics, there are labs and assignments throughout the course that will require you are familiar with the following programming concepts:
-
Data types (int, double, bool, string) and data structures (list, dict)
-
If/else, loops, functions
-
Importing libraries
-
Reading, editing, and debugging code, reading documentation
If you’re entirely new to programming, here’s a couple resources to consider:
-
A Coursera Course: Coursera’s library includes dozens of Python courses that cover these topics. For example, consider Google’s Crash Course Python, or the University of Michigan’s Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) followed by their Python Data Structures course.
-
An Outside Course: Many outside resources like Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 course, Microsoft’s Python for Beginners , or W3 Schools’ Python Tutorial teach these same introductory concepts.
-
The web is also filled with other books or video series that teach introductory Python.
If you have experience in another programming language:
- You probably will be able to learn the Python you need for this course as you go. You may wish to skim a resource like W3 Schools’ Python Tutorial or the official Python Documentation to get familiar with Python syntax. You could also just bookmark those links and refer back to them as necessary.