There are currently two major versions of Python; the 2.x branch and the new 3.x branch. There are language incompatibilities between these branches and you have to be aware of which one to use. This book is based on the 3.x branch, considering the language is up to release 3.7.
For this book, you need to install the following:
- The interpreter: Python 3.7 (or later)
- The modules for scientific computing: SciPy with NumPy
- The module for the graphical representation of mathematical results: matplotlib
- The shell: IPython
- A Python-related editor: preferably, Spyder (see Figure 1.1).
The installation of these is facilitated by the so-called distribution packages. We recommend that you use Anaconda.
