Python Power -- Learning, Teaching and Doing with the World's Easiest Programming Language
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Python is a programming language that someone with no programming background can start to work with in a few minutes. Yet, beneath this simple exterior lies a powerful tool, one that has played a key role at Google, Yahoo, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and many other leading organizations. Research projects in Python range from identifying lions on the savannah, to processing the data generated by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Python's straightforward syntax eliminates much tedious work for both instructor and student, while allowing the central concepts of a course of study to show through with greater clarity. In addition, Python makes it much more realistic for students to participate in Open Source projects, or to do meaningful research. Python -- like Open Source itself -- levels the field between established incumbents and new entrants. A clear-thinking, intelligent beginner can make as valuable a contribution as someone with many years of experience.
The presentation will discuss 3 short Python programs, each of which can be used as the basis of a lecture or an assignment. One program will be a 3-dimensional simulation, another a network client, and the third will generate a GUI interface. This will illustrate the diversity of situations in which Python can be used for instruction, student projects, and research.
