WHAT is Python?

Python is an extremely popular, general-purpose programming language.  Python is free to use, open-source, and offers a robust set of tools for creating applications, conducting research, organizing data, hosting websites, and a whole lot more!

WHY use Python?

Compared to some programming languages, Python is relatively  easy to read and understand.  Additionally, the community of software developers using Python is very large and there is an equally large number of freely available packages, add-ons, and tools that we can benefit from.

HOW is Python used for data analysis?

• Data Manipulation and Management
• Statistical Modeling
• Machine Learning & Data Science
• Data Collection (APIs, Web Scraping)

The Python programming language can be downloaded directly from the Python homepage (https://www.python.org/).  However, many people prefer to use different "distributions" of Python for ease-of-use.  Arguably, the single most popular Python distribution for data analysis is called Anaconda.  Anaconda is free to use for individuals and comes bundled with Python, a suite of useful packages and plugins, and has a relatively intuitive interface.

In order to download and install Anaconda, you will need to be an administrator on your computer or you may need to ask your IT support personnel with assistance installing the software

Download Anaconda: external link to download anaconda