Installation and getting started

We will be using Python 3, with any version 3.7 or above. There are a variety of ways to get Python to work:

• Install Python locally (recommended):

  • Download and install Anaconda: https://www.anaconda.com/products/individual (the downloads are at the bottom).

  • Install an IDE of choice. I recommend:

    • PyCharm Education Edition: https://www.jetbrains.com/edu-products/download/#section=pycharm-edu

  • Or use Jupyter Notebooks locally.

    • Option 1: Open from Anaconda Navigator (an application installed by anaconda). Your Navigator Home dashboard should have an option for Jupyter and you can click "launch".

    • Option 2: Open your terminal or command prompt application. Change your working directory to be your project directory, and then running the command jupyter notebook to launch it. You can also run jupyter lab if you prefer to work in the lab environment.

• Use a cloud service, there are a few options (a good alternative until I can fix your computer):

  • Google CoLab: https://colab.research.google.com/ supports Jupyter Notebooks

  • PythonAnywhere.com has a free account which can run .py files in a console. Paid accounts ($5 a month) support more consoles and Jupyter Notebooks. You should only need this for about 2 months to complete the coursework. You can keep your account and your files once you switch back to the free account.