Gael Varoquaux wrote:
John,
[snippage]
Maybe python can seem harder because it can be used at higher levels. I still thing that it is lacking an IDE where you can "click and start typing".
But that's exactly my point. For the most common sort of calculations one does as an undergraduate, using Python is exactly like using Matlab, with trivial differences. Here's a little homework problem - calculating the flow velocity in a packed column. This requires the solution of a quadratic equation: Click on Idle. Then start typing: Python 2.5 (r25:51908, Sep 19 2006, 09:52:17) [MSC v.1310 32 bit (Intel)] on win32 Type "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information. **************************************************************** Personal firewall software may warn about the connection IDLE makes to its subprocess using this computer's internal loopback interface. This connection is not visible on any external interface and no data is sent to or received from the Internet. **************************************************************** IDLE 1.2
from numpy import * # Yes, I know, but ... rho = 62.4 rhop = 160. # Use decimal point, or use from __future ... psi = 0.95 Dp = 0.02/12 mu = 1*6.72e-4 eps = 0.42 g = 32.174 a = 1.75*rho/(psi*Dp*eps**3) b = 150.*mu*(1-eps)/((psi*Dp)**2*eps**3) c = g*(rhop - rho) print a,b,c 14918.248001 314771.892136 3140.1824 roots([a,b,-c]) array([-0.34783557, 0.00969792])
Velocity is 0.097 m/sec.
This is how the students use Matlab - the problems are longer, but the basic idea is the same. You also say: Gael: "But I use object oriented programming, importing modules, functional programming, regexp, operator overloading, and some of my colleagues have difficulties with this." Do they also have difficulty doing these in Matlab??????? (You can't even DO most of these in Matlab. Most Matlab users wouldn't even recognize the words.) (Ok, ok, ad hominem towards Matlab, I apologize.) john