Thanks for being part of this course! I hope you will find the content useful. On the first day we gave a brief overview of using the command line and bash. There is, of course, much more to learn about those topics for those who need it. A couple of hints on using bash if you didn’t already know:
- Try pressing the TAB key when you have only partially typed in the name of a file or directory. This is called command-completion and can be really useful.
- Up and down arrows allow you to go back through your history, and the notation !234 will automatically run the 234 line of listed as output from the history command.
For the next week or so, we will being doing an overview of the Python language. These first lectures will cover the basic language. Later on in the course we will look at specific libraries (especially numpy and matplotlib). You should all have access through the library to the textbook. Over the next week or so, try and read through chapters 2 thru 6 on Python.
We will need to install a Python interpreter to be able to do the in class exercises. I’d recommend using Miniconda to set up Python on your computer. Instructions are available at http://physics.codes in Installation subsection. Getting a working Python interpreter for everyone in the class will be the first task on Wednesday morning – so if this doesn’t (yet) make sense to you, wait until class tomorrow and Lukas and I will help you.