Kinder J.M., Nelson P. A Student`s Guide to Python for Physical Modeling

Princeton University Press, 2015. — 160 p. — ISBN: 0691169586, 9780691169583Learning to program a computer can change your perspective. At first, it feels like you are struggling along and picking up a couple of neat tricks here and there, but after a while, you start to realize that you can make the computer do almost anything. You can add in the efects of friction and air resistance that your physics professor is always telling you to ignore, you can make your own predator-prey simulations to study population models, you can create your own fractals, you can look for correlations in the stock market the list is endless.
In order to communicate with a computer, you must first learn a language it understands. Python is an excellent choice because it is easy to get started and its structure is very natural|at least compared to some other computer languages. Soon, you will find yourself spending most of your time thinking about how to solve a problem, rather than how to explain your calculation to a computer. Whatever your motivation for learning Python, you may wonder whether it's really necessary to wade through everything in this book. Bear with us. We are working scientists, and we have used our experience to prepare you to start exploring and learning on your own as eficiently as possible. Spend a few hours trying everything we recommend, in the order we recommend it. This will save time in the long run. We have eliminated everything you don't need at the outset. What remains is a set of basic knowledge and skills that you will almost certainly find useful someday.