[Numpy-discussion] confusion on importing numpy

Hello list. I am confused about importing numpy. When I do from numpy import * and I try the min function, I get the default Python min function. On the other hand, when I do import numpy as np and use the np.min function, I get the numpy min function (which is obviously what I want). I know, the latter is preferred, but the former is so dang easy to type. I always thought both imports work the same, but I am obviously wrong. What's the difference? Thanks, Mark