What you will need for this course

Python and Jupyter Notebook

In this course, we will being learning some basic computer programming in the programming language Python. In particular, we will be using Jupyter Notebook. The idea behind Jupyter Notebook is that it gives us a way to mix pieces of programming code with output, graphical plots and explanatory text, much like a live report or scientist’s notebook.

We recommend you install Anaconda on your computer in order to use Jupyter Notebook and, therefore, code in Python effectively. If, however, you are unable to install Anaconda, you could consider Google Colab (which requires a Google account) or Jupyter Lab.

Installing Anaconda

The cleanest way to get started is to install the free Anaconda distribution of Python (see instructions in the downloads area). This will give you all you need for this course, including Jupyter Notebook.

Google Colab

If you have a Google account, a simple way to get up and running on Jupyter Notebook, without installing anything, is to use the Google Colaboratory (called Google Colab for short). Instructions on how to access Jupyter Notebook in Google Colab is in the downloads area.

Note: make sure you are using either Chrome, Firefox or Safari web browsers (it doesn’t seem to work with Microsoft Edge).

Jupyter Lab

Another alternative is to use Jupyter Lab. This is a Jupyter Notebook hosted on mybinder.org. Instructions on how to access Jupyter Notebook in JupyterLab is in the downloads area.

Note: it has quite a short timeout for sessions as it is meant to be a trial. You can always start over again though.