Tools/Python Tools

Python can be used to achieve results similar to Octave or Matlab, but with the advantages of a fundamentally object-oriented general-purpose language. Additionally to numerical computation, packages allow to solve linear systems.

Numerical computation with Python mainly bases on the following libraries:

• NumPy for arrays, linear algebra, ...
• SciPy depends on NumPy, used to manipulate numbers, for signal processing, ...
• matplotlib for 2D plots

PyLab integrates these 3 libraries.

The Spyder IDE provides a MATLAB-like development interface. As a simple alternative, IPython provides a web-based GUI and Mathematica-like notebooks.

Installation

Mac OS

Donload Spyder. Copy the application to the Applications folder.

Launch Spyder, and in the console type:

t = linspace(0, 10, 100);
plot(t, sin(t));

Linux

Installation can be done on a package basis, with pip. An alternative would be easy_install.

Install the IDE:

sudo apt-get install spyder

This also installs numPy, sciPy and matplotlib.

Launch Spyder, and in the console type:

t = linspace(0, 10, 100);
plot(t, sin(t));

Windows

Download Python(x,y).

This will allow to install Python and other components of your choice.