A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like?

Examples

Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics

to civil engineering

Fedor Baart

May 13, 2013

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Introduction

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

1 A bit about myself

2 Learn a new language?

3 What do people like?

4 Examples

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Outline

1 A bit about myself

2 Learn a new language?

3 What do people like?

4 Examples

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Senior consultant at
Deltares, coastal systems
and software data
integration
1 day a week at Hydraulic
Engineering at Delft 5 June 2013 Phd: Confidence in
University of Technology coastal forecasts

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Outline

1 A bit about myself

2 Learn a new language?

3 What do people like?

4 Examples

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

When to extend your toolbox?

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

What does your toolbox look like?

src: Norm Abram

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

What determines the language?

Paradigma
Data types (dict, list, strings, numbers, matrices, vectors)
Syntax (Keywords, whitespace, braces)
Type system (int a = 1 vs a = 1)

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Evolution of computer paradigms

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Scripting

Python Matlab

>>> 1 + 1 1 >> 1 + 1
>>> print ( " Hello World " ) >> disp ( Hello World ) ;

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Procedural

Python
Matlab
def add (a , b ) :
function total = add (a , b )
return a + b #
total = a + b
significant
end % ends the function 3
whitespace

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Functional

Python
Matlab
# anonymous function
# applied to each element 2
% apply anonymous function
>>> map ( lambda x : x **2 ,
% to each element 2
[1 ,2 ,3])
>> arrayfun ( @ ( x ) ( x ^2) , [1
[1 ,4 ,9]
2 3])
# recursive
ans =
# add (1 + reduce ( add ,
1 4 9
[2 ,3]) )
% reduce not in matlab
>>> reduce ( add , [1 ,2 ,3]) 7
6

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Object Oriented

Python Matlab

# numbers are objects % numbers are not objected

>>> 2.5. as_integer_ratio () oriented
(5 , 2) >> rat (2.5)
>>> f = interp1d ([0 ,1 ,2 ,3] , 4 ans =
[0 ,1 ,4 ,9] , kind = cubic 3 + 1/( -2)
) % This is an objected 5
# which can be called oriented part of matlab
>>> f (1.5) >> Hs = spectrum . periodogram
2.25 % which has properties
# and has properties >> get ( Hs , WindowName )
>>> f . fill_value 9 ans =
nan Rectangular 10

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Interface Oriented

Python

class SomeModel ( object ) :

implements ( IModel ) :
Matlab
def initialize ( self , config ) :
# initialize
% Not used in
def update ( self , dt ) 5
matlab
# do a timestep
...
# Register Model
registerUtility ( SomeModel () , IModel )
# get a list of all the models
models = getUtilitiesFor ( IModel ) 10

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Aspect Oriented

Python

@cache Matlab
def slow_calculation () :
time . sleep (100) 3 % Not used in
return 1+1 matlab
slow_calculation () # slow
slow_calculation () # fast

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Types

Python
Python
Types: Everything is an object
Types: Everything is an array
Type safety:
Weak dynamic, typed
# strong , dynamic
>> x = 1
>>> x = 1
>> x = a
>>> x = a
>> x = 1 + a
>>> x = 1 + a 4
98
TypeError

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Outline

1 A bit about myself

2 Learn a new language?

3 What do people like?

4 Examples

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

What aspects determine if people like their language?

People (What are people using it for? )
Help (Documentation, community)
Tools (What tools are available? )
Speed (How does it scale?)
Libraries (What libraries can you reuse?)

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Whats popular where?

python
science
matlab
geospatial
engineering
web
science
system
games

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

People and paradigma

scientists programmers

less more
abstract abstract

script function object interface aspects

FOTRAN / C

Matlab

Python / Ruby

Java / C#

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

python

help ( function ) 1

most python modules have a doc matlab

website: help function
1 docs.python.org
All documentation in matlab gui.
2 docs.scipy.org
3 matplotlib.sourceforge.net
4 readthedocs.org

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Most popular python IDE (@SO) Screenshot

15 Spyder

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Most popular python IDE (@SO)

Screenshot

3 emacs
4 PyCharm
15 Spyder

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Screenshot
Most popular python IDE (@SO)
new ipython notebook
1 vim
2 PyDev
3 emacs
4 PyCharm
15 Spyder

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Python Matlab
Startup do nothing and shutdown Startup do nothing and shutdown
time. time.
$time python -c " pass " $ time matlab -r exit 1
real 0 m0 .038 s real 1 m8 .891 s
user 0 m0 .022 s user 0 m11 .889 s
sys 0 m0 .012 s 4 sys 0 m3 .184 s

Other languages
C: 0.000s, Java: 0.3s, Perl 0.001s, Bash 0.001s

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Matlab
Python
>> x = zeros (1000) ;
>>> timeit . timeit ( a = x . dot ( 1 >> tic ; for i =1:10; a = x * x ; end
x ) number =10) ; toc
1. 594820 97 62 57 324 2 Elapsed time is 1.796690 3
seconds .

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Outline

1 A bit about myself

2 Learn a new language?

3 What do people like?

4 Examples

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

BMI
fortran + web

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Kustviewer
data + gis + web

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Argus
notebook (calculator) + computer vision

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering
A bit about myself Learn a new language? What do people like? Examples

Leap
Interaction + 2d, 3d plotting

Fedor Baart
Python versus Matlab: examples from geophysics to civil engineering