Python and Scientific Computing

Scientists and engineers often have needs for high-performance computation tools which are also easy to use and modify. Many also wish to be able to use a general-purpose language instead of a specialized tool, allowing them to integrate networking, GUI's etc. in their high-performance work. Several tools have been developed to adress these needs around the Python language. The Numeric Python extensions is the foremost among these tools.

This topic guide presents links to resources which have proven to be of great help in allowing this user community to use Python in their research work. The guide is divided into four sections.

• The first section covers the NumPy extensions, which provide efficient operations on large multidimensional arrays.
• The second section covers all of the other tools available, including array-manipulation code, general numerical analysis code, tools for visualizing and storing data, and links to field-specific tools.
• The third section provides information on books and literature on topics of interest to scientific Python users but which may not be directly related to Python.
• The final section consists of links to the Matrix and Plotting Special Interest Groups, which are good fora for discussing topics in scientific computing in Python.

Numerical Python Extensions
Numeric Python	General information regarding the Numeric Python (a.k.a. NumPy) extensions for multidimensional arrays.
Download	Download instructions for the NumPy extensions
Documentation	Documentation for the NumPy extensions
Other Tools
Number-crunching	Extensions for manipulating data and functions.
Plotting resources	Interfaces to data plotting software.
Data Storage	Software to manage storage of data.
Field-Specific Information	Useful links, organized per scientific field.
Scientific Computing
Books	Books that are recommended for learning about scientific computing.
Available Software	Links to non-python software organized by topics, as recommended by Python users.
The Matrix and Plotting Special Interest Groups
Matrix-SIG page	Information about the Matrix-SIG
Subscribing	How to join the Matrix-SIG mailing list
Archives	Archives of past discussions on the Matrix-SIG
Plot-SIG page	Information about the plot-SIG
Subscribing	How to join the Plot-SIG mailing list
Archives	Archives of past discussions on the Plot-SIG