python beginner book

aidanki · 17-10-2019 11:07am #1

Good afternoon all,

I am new to programming, however I did do quite a lot of Matlab 15years ago, not used one line of it since. Im an engineer by profession.

I would like to learn Python, Im interested in Artificial Intelligence and would like to understand some more details.

Anyone able to recommend some beginner Python books which would be suit me please.

Talisman · 17-10-2019 10:10pm

Not a book but take a look at Google's Python Class, it will get you up to speed with the fundamentals.

heffsarmy · 18-10-2019 11:41am

Learn python the hard way is good

https://learncodethehardway.org/python/

This is a good tutorial to get you up and running

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlrxD0HtieHhS8VzuMCfQD4uJ9yne1mE6

Recommend using Visual Studio Code

https://code.visualstudio.com/

CalamariFritti · 18-10-2019 11:50am

Not sure how python would help you with artificial intelligence though. I haven’t stayed with it but last time I looked nobody really had a clue yet what artificial Intelligence was or how to achieve it. If it ever will be achieved I doubt that it will involve python.

In any case python is a very simple programming language and is often used to introduce people to programming in general. It is a good choice for getting back into it. Also has large array of powerful libraries for all sorts of tasks and is very powerful in that sense. While it’s simple and easy to understand its not a kiddy language you can accomplish serious stuff with it.

heffsarmy · 18-10-2019 12:48pm

CalamariFritti wrote: »

Not sure how python would help you with artificial intelligence though. I haven’t stayed with it but last time I looked nobody really had a clue yet what artificial Intelligence was or how to achieve it. If it ever will be achieved I doubt that it will involve python.

That's rubbish, python is probably one of the best languages for learning AI and machine learning

https://djangostars.com/blog/why-python-is-good-for-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning/

https://steelkiwi.com/blog/python-for-ai-and-machine-learning/

CalamariFritti · 18-10-2019 2:57pm

heffsarmy wrote: »

That's rubbish, python is probably one of the best languages for learning AI and machine learning

https://djangostars.com/blog/why-python-is-good-for-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning/

https://steelkiwi.com/blog/python-for-ai-and-machine-learning/

Ok... if your definition of ‘AI’ is crawling through large amounts of data

smacl · 18-10-2019 6:15pm

CalamariFritti wrote: »

Ok... if your definition of ‘AI’ is crawling through large amounts of data

Fair enough, machine learning and deep learning don't amount to AI, but the terms are interchanged all too regularly. Python is commonly used in computer vision and is probably decent enough language for an engineer looking to play with much of the related tools out there.

aidanki · 19-10-2019 10:53am

smacl wrote: »

Fair enough, machine learning and deep learning don't amount to AI, but the terms are interchanged all too regularly. Python is commonly used in computer vision and is probably decent enough language for an engineer looking to play with much of the related tools out there.

your comment is interesting Computer Vision Algorithms are common described as AI from what I read.

Whats your definition ? and what languages do you recommend

smacl · 19-10-2019 12:33pm

aidanki wrote: »

your comment is interesting Computer Vision Algorithms are common described as AI from what I read.

Whats your definition ? and what languages do you recommend

I did Satya Malik's course on OpenCV earlier this year which I found excellent, see https://www.learnopencv.com/ for more details. I don't see the old course any more, which gave the option of either C++ or python as the main language, but he seems to have another course in the pipeline. I'm a long time C++ hack myself so went with that, but most people went with python. My daughter is currently having to do some python in college as part of her course, so I'll probably use it as an excuse to pick up some myself.

OpenCV python tutorials are here

Talisman · 19-10-2019 4:54pm

aidanki wrote: »

your comment is interesting Computer Vision Algorithms are common described as AI from what I read.

Whats your definition ? and what languages do you recommend

AI is a catch all term that describes the use of computers to model or replicate intelligent behavior. It encompasses all of the following:

Machine Learning (learn to do things by understanding data)
Deep Learning (artificial neural networks - learn and make their own decisions)
Natural Language Processing (make sense of the human languages)
Expert Systems (emulate the decision making ability of a human expert using rules)
Robotics
Computer Vision (identify and process images/objects as a human does)
Speech Recognition (identify words and phrases in spoken language)

You can use any language you desire but Python is synonymous with the field because there are so many battle tested libraries available.

WhiteMemento9 · 20-10-2019 1:21pm

Automate the Boring Stuff is often recommended on Reddit. The book is free to read and use on his website. He has a Udemy course of the same name which you can sometimes pick up for $5. I haven't used it so I can't vouch for it personally but it is always voted near the top of the Reddit threads when someone asks this question. Python Crash Course is the other top book recommended. It is more a comprehensive programming book than ATBS one which from what I can gather is supposed to be somewhat of a soft introduction for people with little to no prior programming experience.

In terms of courses this always is highly recommended - EDX MIT - Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python. It is fairly intense from what I have read and requires you to be putting in 15-20 hours a week to keep pace.

WhiteMemento9 · 01-03-2020 5:56pm

Just a bump as the author is currently giving away Automate the boring stuff for free.

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming

You can see the post here from the author if you are having trouble with that link.

Computer Science Student · 28-03-2020 7:15pm

I recommend PyCharm, and find something simple you want to build/automate and have at it - there's a pylib for just about every use case you could imagine.

bpmurray · 01-04-2020 2:03pm

There are a number of wwb pages with lists of good python books, for example:

and I'm sure there are plenty more

Manach · 05-04-2020 10:42am

I'd recommend Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming. It is currently on sale on Amazon Kindle for $5.

Talisman · 06-04-2020 3:06pm

If you've got kids that are into video games then I'd recommend "Code The Classics Volume 1". The hard cover book costs £12 but it's freely available as a PDF and all of the code is on Github.

Code the Classics Volume 1 Review

PDF Download & Code

It has been especially handy for getting people off of the Xbox for a while in the past few weeks.

AaronMic95 · 29-06-2020 7:04pm

I would recommend How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python 3 Documentation. This has helped me a lot in terms of understanding it better as I'm also studying Python. I would consider myself still a beginner but already moving towards the intermediate level probably.

AaronMic95 · 10-07-2020 6:47pm

To those who have advanced a bit in python already(if there are any), what are the first paid jobs you acquired for python programming?

Keans · 19-10-2021 4:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058023653/python-beginner-book

It is really great you are learning. But what I want to say. The best study is practice! I know a company that is hiring newbies. Here they are https://sloboda-studio.com/ I advise you to contact them.