Lecture 1 :: 06 February 2015

• Topics: Overview of Diving into the Deluge of Data
• Goals: explore and experience computer science and problem solving; describe course structure
• Readings:
  • Whetting your Appetite
• Notes
• Slides

Lecture 2 :: 09 February 2015

• Topics: operating systems, unix, bash, and compiled versus interpretted languages
• Goals: gain a rudimentary understanding of the operating system, filesystem, shell, programming languages, and the REPL
• Readings:
  • Chapter 1 of Think Python.
  • A Unix tutorial. Write down questions and bring them to the first lab. The tutorial is probably best read in front of a computer equipped with a unix operating system (like OS X or Linux). To launch a shell on OS X, look for the Terminal application in /Applications/Utilities.
  • Bash on Wikipedia
  • How does a computer program work?
• Notes
• Slides

Lecture 3 :: 11 February 2015

• Topics: the python interpreter, variables, numbers, strings, and representation
• Goals: understand variable declaration and assignment, integers, reals, and complex numbers, mathematical operations on different numeric types, strings and basic string manipulation
• Readings:
  • Chapter 2 from Think Python
  • Numbers from the Python Tutorial.
• Additional Readings and Information:
• More information about escaping
• Why complex numbers use j instead of i in python
• Notes
• Slides

Lecture 4 :: 13 February 2015

• Topics: conditionals, functions, scope, namespaces, modules, pseudocode
• Goals: understand function declaration, parameters and arguments; learn about Python modules and packages; use pseudocode to describe language-independent ideas
• Readings:
  • Chapter 3 from Think Python
  • Modules from the Python tutorial
• Additional Readings and Information:
• All Python objects have boolean values
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: iteration and loops
• Goals: explore standard looping constructs in python; practice writing sophisticated loops;
• Readings:
  • Read the while and break statements from Think Python
  • Sections 4.1-4.5 in the Python Tutorial
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: strings, output, sequences, and basic formatting
• Goals:
• Readings:
  • Strings from the Python Tutorial
  • Chapter 8: Strings from Think Python
  • Sequences
  • Text Sequence Type
  • Format String Syntax -- pay the most attention to the examples.
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: lists and search
• Goals:
• Readings:
  • Lists from Think Python
  • Python Tutorial on Lists
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: numerical methods for finding the roots of polynomial equations
• Goals: develop an intuition for binary search; appreciate numerical methods and their importance
• Readings:
  • Newton's Method on Mathworld
  • Scan the Wikipedia entry on computing square roots
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: files and streams
• Goals:
• Readings:
  • Chapter 14 of Think Python
  • Reading and Writing files
  • Understanding Python's with Statement
  • iterable versus iterator
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Temporary Files and Comma Separated Values (CSV)
• Goals:
• Readings:
  • Python CSV Documentation
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Minimum Perimeter Tiling of the Unit Square by Rectangles
• Goals: Understand the basics of dynamic programming;
• Readings:
  • Partitioning a Square into Rectangles: NP-Completeness and Approximation Algorithms (skim very lightly)
• Slides

• Topics: Classes
• Goals: Learn how to define new types; understand the syntax and semantics of classes and methods; understand the difference between objects and types.
• Readings:
  • Classes and objects from Think Python.
  • Classes from the Python Tutorial.
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Problem solving session
• Goals: Practice solving problems using Python.
• Readings:
  • Project Euler
• Slides

• Topics: Question Day
• Goals: Answer nagging questions about Python and problem solving.
• Readings: None, but come to class with at least one question
• Answers to questions:
  • Read about magic methods
  • What does if __name__ == '__main__' do?
  • Read about list comphrensions
  • What's going on with __init__ and self
• Slides

• Topics: Classes, Inheritance, Access Control
• Goal:
• Readings:
  • Classes Tutorial
  • Python Docs (inheritance)
• Slides

• Topics: Representation: String encodings, Unicode, and UTF-8
• Goal: Understand Unicode, how encodings and decodings relate to Unicode, and the UTF-8 encoding standard
• Readings:
  • Python Unicode HOWTO
  • Joel on Software
  • UTF-8
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Applications: Visualization of π, Iterators, Generators, and Queues
• Goal: Practice program design, learn about iterators and how generators in Python make for beautiful code, introduce queues using lists.
• Readings:
  • Visualizing PI
  • Martin Krzywinski
  • A Spigot for π
  • Iterators and Generators (this is written for Python 2.x so allreferences to the method next should be to the method __next__ in Python 3.x.
• Slides

• Topics: More Iterators and OOP
• Goals: Review iterators and OOP constructurs lists.
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: A Spigot for E
• Goals: Develop an iterator for e based on a mixed-based representation of the number.
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Midterm Review
• Slides

• Topics: Dictionaries and Sets
• Goals: Understand the benefits of dictionaries; understand when a dictionary is an appropriate choice of data structure
• Readings:
  • Python Tutorials: Sets and Dictionaries
  • Python Docs: set and dict.
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Applications of Dictionaries and Sets; A Matplotlib Tutorial
• Goals: Gain confidence with dictionaries; understand matplotlib
• Readings:
  • Pyplot Tutorial
  • Subplot Grids
  • fill_between
  • Custom Legends
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: applications of dictionaries: memoization
• Goals: Understand time versus space trade-off
• Readings:
  • Memoization and Decorators
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Project Euler Problem Day 2
• Goals: Practice solving problems using sets
• Readings:
  • Project Euler
• Slides

• Topics: JSON
• Goals: Understand the advantages and disadvantages of the JSON format; practice using the Python JSON API
• Readings:
  • json.org
  • Python JSON Documentation
• Slides
• Notes

• Topics: Regular Expressions
• Goals: Understand the syntax, semantics, power, and traps of regular expressions
• Readings:
  • Python HOWTO
  • Python API
• Slides
• Notes

• Topics: Regular Expression Practice
• Goals: Practice writing regular expressions
• Slides

• Topics: Recursion
• Goals: Understand how recursion works. Develop some intuition on how to think inductively.
• Readings:
  • Think Python: Recusion
• Notes

• Topics: More Recusion
• Goals: Develop recrusive problem solving skills; practice thinking recursively
• Notes
• Slides

• Topics: Sorting, Merge Sort
• Goals: Understand how merge sort works; develop intution for the number of comparisons it forms in the worst case; understand streaming merge
• Notes

• Topics: Sorting on the Disk; Sorgin Big Data
• Goals: Understand and work around the limitations of main memory
• Notes
• Slides

• Lab 1: Workflows and the Toolchain :: 12 February 2015
• Lab 2: Thrown for a Loop: Monte Carlo Methods:: 19 February 2015
• Lab 3: Numerical Methods: Roots and Fractals :: 26 February 2015
• Lab 4: Stock Viz :: 05 March 2015
• Lab 5: Purple America :: 12 March 2015
• Lab 6: Iterators and Art :: 09 April 2015
• Lab 7: Dictionaries, Babynames, and Google Ngrams :: 16 April 2015
• Lab 8: Twitter and Word Clouds :: 23 April 2015
• Lab 9: Regular Expressions and Recursion :: 30 April 2015

• Homework 0 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 06 February 2015 :: Due: 12.00 08 February 2015
• Homework 1 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 25 February 2015 :: Due: 23.00 06 March 2015
• Homework 2 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 06 March 2015 :: Due: 23.00 13 March 2015
• Homework 3 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 13 March 2015 :: Due: 23.00 20 March 2015
• Homework 4 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 24 April 2015 :: Due: 23.00 01 May 2015
• Homework 5 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 01 May 2015 :: Due: 23.00 08 May 2015
• Homework 6 :: Assigned: 09.00 - 08 May 2015 :: Due: 23.00 15 May 2015