Here is a link to my sample Python code.
One of the somewhat unforeseen consequences of taking a career in applied mathematics, particularly in this day and age, is that you will eventually need to write computer programs that implement the mathematical algorithms. There are several languages in which one can do this, each with its own positives and negatives and you will find that things that are simple in some are difficult in another. After speaking with a number of people, both students and professionals who work with mathematics on a regular basis, I reasoned that it may be helpful to provide some source code examples to help mathematicians get started with programming in some of these languages. I decided to start with Python because its a powerful language, available for free, and its learning curve isn’t too steep.
I will be working with Python 2.7, which can be downloaded from https://www.python.org/download/releases/2.7/. I understand, however, that a limitation to coding is the required setup often necessary before one can even write their first line of code. So while I do encourage you to download Python, I will also provide a link to the online Python compiler at Compile Online, which should allow users to simply copy and paste the code into a new tab in their browser and by simply clicking the “Execute Script” command in the upper left corner, see the output of the code.
With that being said, here is a link to my sample Python code.