Handout: Python for Physical Modeling-Princeton University

Textbook:A Student's Guide to Python for Physical Modeling
Author(s): Jesse M. Kinder

Description:
• Many code samples that appear in this document, as well as errata, updates, data sets, and more
are available via press.princeton.edu/titles/10644.html.
• After the first few pages, you’ll need to work in front of a computer that is running Python. (Don’t
worry—we’ll tell you how to set it up.) On that same computer, you’ll probably want to have open a text document named code_samples.txt, which is available via the Web site above.
• Next to the computer you may have a hard copy of this book, or a tablet or other device with the eBook. Alternatively, the eBook can be open on the same computer that runs Python.
• This book will frequently ask you to try things. Some of those things involve snippets of code given in the text. You can copy and paste code from code_samples.txt into your Python session, see what happens, then modify and play with it.
• You can also access the snippets interactively. A page with links to individual code samples is available via the Web site above. In the eBook, you can also click on the words [get code] at the top of a code sample to visit the Web page. Either way, you can copy and paste code from the Web page into Python.
• A few sections and footnotes are flagged with this “Track 2” symbol: T2 .