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MatLab vs. Python vs. R

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Journal of Data Science 15(2017), 355-372

MatLab vs. Python vs. R

Ceyhun Ozgur1,Taylor Colliau2,Grace Rogers3

Zachariah Hughes4,Elyse “Bennie” Myer-Tyson5
12345
Valparaiso University

Abstract: Matlab, Python and R have all been used successfully in teaching
college students fundamentals of mathematics & statistics. In today’s data driven
environment, the study of data through big data analytics is very powerful,
especially for the purpose of decision making and using data statistically in this
data rich environment. MatLab can be used to teach introductory mathematics
such as calculus and statistics. Both Python and R can be used to make decisions
involving big data. On the one hand, Python is perfect for teaching introductory
statistics in a data rich environment. On the other hand, while R is a little more
involved, there are many customizable programs that can make somewhat
involved decisions in the context of prepackaged, preprogrammed statistical
analysis.

Key words: MatLab, Python, R

1. INTRODUCTION

This paper compares the effectiveness of MatLab, Python (Numpy, SciPy) and R in a
teaching environment. In this paper we have tried to establish which programming language is
best to teach operations research and statistics to students in a college setting. We have also
attempted to determine which skill is most desirable to have knowledge about in the workplace.
To begin, Python is a type of programming language. The most common implementation to
this programing language is that in C (also known as CPython). Not only is Python a
programming language, but it consists of a large standard library. This library is structured to
focus on general programming and contain modules for os specific, threading, networking, and
databases.
Next, Matlab is most highly regarded as not only a commercial numerical computing
environment, but also as a programming language. Matlab similarly has a standard library, but
its uses include matrix algebra and a large network for data processing and plotting. It also
contains toolkits for the avid learner, but these will cost the user extra.
Lastly, R is a free, open-source statistical software. Colleagues at the University of
Auckland in New Zealand, Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka, created the software in 1993
because they mutually saw a need for a better software environment for their classes. R has
356 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

certainly outgrown its origins, now boasting more than two million users according to an R
Community website (“What is R?” 2014).
Although both Python and R are open source programming languages, you do not have to
be a programmer to utilize them. While programs such as Excel and SPSS may be simpler and
faster to learn, their computational abilities are far inferior to those of Python, R, and Matlab,
which require only basic programming knowledge. Between these three programs, when it
comes to usability, Python may be a better choice because the syntax it uses compares more
similarly to other languages. However, many programmers believe the syntax used by R to be
easily learned and understood without explicit instruction. Kevin Markham, a data scientist and
teacher, suggested in his article on software learnability that Python and R have comparable
learning curves for students without any prior programming experience. Despite this similarity,
there is an argument that Python can be easier to learn because its code is read more like regular
human language (Markham). There is a tradeoff between the simplicity of closed-source
preprogrammed software and the more complicated yet empowering open-source software. If
all you require is straightforward, small data analysis, you may not need to look any further
than Excel and SPSS. The extent of Python, Matlab, and R, however, reaches numerous
additional dimensions of big data analysis capability. Universities may wish to pursue offering
instruction on these programs as they are better suited for working with big data and more
widely used in the workplace.

2. MATLAB VS. PYTHON

Figure 1: MatLab vs. Python

 Ceyhun Ozgur 357

3. Basics of MatLab

MatLab is a programming language used mostly by engineers and data analysts for
numerical computations. There are a variety of toolboxes available when first purchasing
Matlab to further enhance the basic functions that are already available upon purchase. Matlab
is available on Unix, Macintosh, and Windows environments, but is also available for student
usage on personal computers.
The largest advantage of MatLab is the fact that it makes data visualization so easy for the
user. Rather than relying on some foundational knowledge of coding or computer science
policies, MatLab instead allows users to get a more intuitive read on their data. The easy-to-
read format in which data are presented both pre- and post-analysis allows users to maintain
tight control over the way their data are presented. This is perhaps most important for those
who may not have advanced statistical backgrounds; one need not understand the finer points of
a procedure if the changes are made readily apparent in a table or a graph. This also means that
MatLab is able to produce analyses which are friendly to the layperson and may make large-
scale data analysis handier for business which deal with it.
The benefit of this visualization is not limited to the two-dimensional nature in which other
programs, such as SPSS or SAS, and therefore allows for a better conceptualization of the data
in a real-world scenario. Rather than attempting to force multiple factors into several complex
models in order to understand how each one interacts with the data, one can look at the rises
and falls in the output in a manner that logically follows given how we live our lives in a three-
dimensional space. This continues to add to the appeal of MatLab, as this further enhances the
readability of analyses and makes businesses more approachable by allowing for output that
those without strong statistics backgrounds can interpret.
That said, MatLab does fall into the trap of being somewhat particular in the way that data
must be read in and commands must be executed. This is a somewhat expected problem, as
software that tends to be more open-code is less layperson-friendly. Therefore, while this is a
downfall of directly working with MatLab, the benefits concerning the way data are presented
should not be ignored.

4. Basics of Python

Python is another available programming language that can be accessed and used easily by
the most experienced programmers, but also by novice students. Python is a programming
language that can be used for both major and smaller projects. This is due to its adaptable and
being a well-developed programming language. It is a widely used program due to its efficient
nature of programming features. Python has also simplified debugging for the programmer due
to its built-in debugging feature. Python has ultimately helped programmers become more
productive and efficient with their time and has made their developments better.
Python is also one of the top coding languages, as of 2014 (Guo, 2014). This language is
required, or at least used, by the overwhelming majority of computer science courses in United
States colleges. This ubiquity means that learning Python is almost essential if one wishes to
358 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

pursue any degree which requires some fundamental knowledge of coding and/or computer
science practices, and especially so for those looking to start a career in data analytics. The
prevalence of Python in so many programs nationwide means that those who are concerned
about the applicability of their skills need not worry, as it is found in the majority of the top
programs and has a basis in the job market post-graduation (Guo, 2014). Python is likely to
make a lasting impression on those who learn it as a coding language, either because it is their
first or because it is the first one they learned at a higher-level institution. Even if students do
not go on to complete their initial major choice, or if they learn other coding languages (or have
learned them in the past, even), the fact of the matter is, this language will be the one they come
to assign a higher value to due to its weight and influence as a college-level experience.

5. Advantages of Python

Using Python has many advantages to the programmers. The first is that Python is free to
the public and to anyone who wants to use the program. This gives an advantage because it
allows anyone who has the motivation to learn the program to use it as they please.
It is also an easy program to learn and to read. It is much more generic than Matlab which
originally started as a matrix manipulation package that later added a programming language to
it. Python is also much easier to make your original ideas into a coding language. With this free
program it comes with libraries, lists, and dictionaries that will help the programmer achieve
their ultimate goal in a well-organized way. It is used by working with a variety of modules,
which allows it to start up very quickly. When using Python it is soon realized that everything
is an object, so each object has a namespace itself. This helps give the program structure while
keeping it clean and simple. This is why Python excels at introspection. Introspection is what
comes from the object nature of Python. Due to Python’s easy and clear structure mentioned
earlier, introspection is easy to do on this program. This is key in being able to access any part
of the program, including Python’s internal structures. String manipulation is also simple, easy,
and efficient when using Python. Due to Python being virtually available to everyone because
of its free of cost nature, it can run on any type of system. These include: Windows, Linux, and
OS X. On Python functions and classes can be defined and used wherever the user would like
and programmers can design as many as they deem necessary. With Python a user can
personally create an application that they think looks good and works well for them. A
programmer can choose from a variety of the available GUI (graphical user interface) toolkits.

6. Advantages of Python over Matlab

As one who has become thoroughly familiar with the range of both Matlab’s and Python’s
capabilities through years of use, Phillip Feldman offers the following reasons as to why the
qualities of Python are advantageous to those of Matlab despite the their numerous comparable
qualities.
 Ceyhun Ozgur 359

(1) Python code is more compact and easier to read than Matlab code.
a. Unlike Matlab, which uses end statement to indicate the end of a block, Python
determines block size based on indentation.
b. Python uses square brackets for indexing and parentheses for functions and methods,
whereas Matlab uses parentheses for both, making Matlab more difficult to differentiate
and understand.
c. Python’s better readability leads to fewer bugs and faster debugging.
(2) While most programming languages, including Python, use zero-based indexing, Matlab
uses one-based indexing making it more confusing for users to translate.
(3) The object-oriented programming (OOP) in Python is simple flexibility while Matlab's
OOP scheme is complex and confusing.
(4) Python is free and open.
a. While Python is open source programming, much of Matlab is closed
b. The developers of Python encourage users to input suggestions for the software, while the
developers of Matlab offer no such interaction.
(5) There is no Matlab counterpart to Python’s import statement.
(6) Python offers a wider set of choices in graphics package and toolsets

7. Utilization of Python

Python has been gaining momentum as being the programming language for novice users.
Highly ranked Computer Science departments at MIT and UC Berkeley use Python to teach
their novice programming language students. The three largest Massive Open Online Course
(MOOC) providers (edX, Coursera, and Udacity) all use Python as their programming language
for their beginning courses in programming. A variety of professors in other disciplines now
utilize the need for novice students to understand Python and its key features.

8. Analysis for Python vs. Matlab

The graph below (Figure 2) accurately shows the top 39 computer science departments that
use introductory languages in their curriculum. The seven introductory languages evaluated
were Python, Java, Matlab, C, C++, Scheme, and Scratch. The two that we will be
concentrating on are Python and Matlab. Sometimes, we hear the comparison between Python
and MATLAB. This comparsion can especially be picked up from
http://www.pyzo.org/python_vs_matlab.html.
This article shows Python more favorable than MATLAB. However, the following article
showsMATLAB more favorable than Python;
https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab/matlab-vs- python.html
360 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

Figure 2:

9. Comparison of Python to other programming languages

Python is clearly the most popular introductory language that was being taught, from the
selection on this list. It surpassed Java, that was until recently the most used introductory
teaching language over the past decade. Python has been added to most schools teaching
curriculum due to its easy to learn and use programs and features. With Python, beginning
students do not have to focus their energies on details like types, compilers, and writing
boilerplate code, and other algorithms. Python allows the students to easily code the and make
the program accomplish the tasks that they want to see achieved.
Matlab was the next most popular programming language after Python and Java. It was
mostly entered into the curriculum for science and engineering. This is due to its more
advanced features and language characteristics.

10. R VS. PYTHON

The Basics of R

R is software designed to run statistical analyses and output graphics. It can run on virtually
any operating system, and is open source (The R Foundation, 2017). This availability across
operating systems does put it on par with MatLab for its general flexibility. However, R excels
 Ceyhun Ozgur 361

at having community-driven discussions to find new ways in which to utilize the program
as well as to debug potential coding errors. This community support largely stems from the fact
that R, like Python, is an open-source and free-to-use software. However, it shares the same
issue that Python does; it does not necessarily present data in an easy-to-interpret way for the
layperson.
The analytical power of R is virtually unmatched; one of the strongest competitors, SAS,
requires three programming languages to accomplish the same tasks that R can do with one
(Ooi, 2016).. This makes it easier to teach as well as learn, as one need not commit as much
time to the intricate details of each language. R is a highly flexible software with many
additional features that can be downloaded in coding packages (Ooi, 2016).. These packages
come as updates both from R itself and as user-created code packages. The feedback process is,
therefore, reinforced as one is able to network with others in the same or different fields in
order to get software that optimally interacts with data. The user-contributed content can aid in
finding the appropriate package. R is also becoming more and more able to handle the strains of
large datasets; therefore it will be even more useful in the future than it is now (Ooi, 2016).
This is paramount as we move further into the digital age, where one consumer alone can
produce vast amounts of data that are usable to many businesses in several different models.
Therefore, the ability of R to continue to meet the demands that growing data trends place on it,
makes this a highly appealing software for those who want to either acquire or maintain a
presence in the large-scale analytics field.
R as a software, and as a program utilized by businesses, focuses on the analytics-side of
the equation, rather than on the readability of the data (Ooi, 2016). While this is not necessarily
an advantage (if one compares to MatLab), this may work in R’s favor as a popular software for
analysts. The focus on running the analyses and on keeping the data integrity at the forefront,
means that one is able to produce better-quality results and forecasts with R than one might get
from other software. Additionally, this also means that those who are less concerned with
coding and more concerned with strictly producing data models may find this an easier
software with which to work.

11. Comparison of R to Python

When beginning to use R the programmer reads their data into a data frame, used a built-in
model by using R’s formula language, and then can later look back at the model summary
output. When getting started with Python, the programmer has many more choices to make.
These can include choosing how they would like to read their data, what kind of structure they
should use to store their data in, what machine learning package they should use, and what type
of objects does the package even allow to be in the input. Other concerns for the programmer
when starting Python could include what shape should the previous talked about objects be in,
how does the programmer include categorical variables, and how does the user even access the
model’s output? There are many beginning questions for Python because it is a general purpose
programming language, On the other hand, R specializes in a smaller subset of statistical data
and tasks so it is much easier for a programmer to get started. There have been many
362 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

comparisons in the literature between R and Python. Interested readers can find most of the
important conversation/comparison from
http://www.kdnuggets.com/2015/12/continuum-beautiful-interactive-data-visualizations-
webinar.html.
In addition, some of the important conversation/comparison can also be found at
https://www.datacamp.com/community/tutorials/r-or-python-for- data-analysis#gs.a5OeRpc.
Guo (2014) makes the case that Python is necessarily superior due to how commonplace it
is. However, a 2017 update from Muenchen, notes that R is rapidly gaining a share of the data
analytics market. Figure 3 presents a look at the changing landscape of the job postings
available for different types of data analytics software (R Bloggers, 2017).
R expanded from being required in 7% of the jobs posted in 2014 to 11% in 2017. While a
four-percent shift may not seem as though it is worth noting, the fact that this was
accomplished within just three years suggests that this is a trend which not only may continue,
but may do so at a highly accelerated rate.

Figure 3: Job Postings for Popular Data Science Software, 2017 (R Bloggers, 2017)
 Ceyhun Ozgur 363

While Python maintains a strong hold on the market (at roughly 15,000 job postings in
2017) (R Bloggers, 2017), it should be noted that R is rapidly decreasing the margin of
preference within the data analytics field (with 9,000 in the same time frame) (R Bloggers,
2017). This is likely due to the fact that R resembles SAS strongly and may not strictly rely on
a background with computer science or coding. Additionally, the fact that it is open source
could continue to drive its popularity, although that would not wholly account for the shift from
Python to R (since they are both free-to-use software).
It should also be noted that R itself focuses heavily on the data analytics applications of the
software. These jobs, therefore, are more likely to appeal to those who want to use statistical
analyses within their work. Python-based jobs are more likely to focus on the coding aspects of
the language, and therefore may not strictly appeal to those in statistics programs or to
businesses that are involved in large-data analytics (R Bloggers, 2017).

12. R VS. MATLAB

We often hear people complain how expensive MATLAB licenses are. Then we wonder
why they don’t just use R. We can use R to replace MATLAB.

13. Advantages of Matlab

MatLab has a large number of committed users which include many universities and a few
companies who have the budget to buy a license for the program. Even though it is used in
many universities, MatLab is easy for beginners who are just starting to learn about
programming language because the package, when purchased, includes all that you will need.
When using Python you are required to install extra packages. One part of MatLab is a product
called Simulink, which is a core part of the MatLab package for which there does not yet exist a
good alternative in other programming languages.

14. Advantages of R

R is a statistical package that tries to solve problems of statistics in nature. There are many
prepackaged programs in R that attempt to solve various analytics problems. However,
MatLab is used to teach various aspects of mathematics, such as calculus or graphing equations.
As soon below in Figure 3, R is currently widely used for data mining today. Out of those
polled, 47% indicated that they used R on a daily basis as opposed to only 23% that said that
they used MatLab. This shows that in the analytics field, R is preferred over MatLab when it
comes to performing statistical analysis. This claim can be supported below in Figure 4 where
approximately 1,600 jobs on Indeed.com required the knowledge of R, and the program
MatLab was never a requirement for employment.
364 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

15. R VS. SAS VS. SPSS

Figure 4: 2010 Analytics Survey Results of Analytic Tools (Muenchen, 2014)

As seen above, data miners use R, SAS, and SPSS the most. Because 47%, 32%, and 32%
percent of respondents use R, SAS, and SPSS, respectively, it can be inferred that these are the
software skills that the greatest proportion of employers will continue to look for (Ozgur, 2015).
Surprisingly, schools do not teach students the same software that businesses look for. In his
article that measures the popularity of many data analysis software, Robert Muenchen notes
that discovering the software skills that employers are seeking would “require a time
consuming content analysis of job descriptions” (Muenchen, 2014). However, he finds other
ways to figure out the statistical software skills that employers seek. One of these methods is to
examine which software they currently use. Muenchen includes a survey conducted by Rexer
 Ceyhun Ozgur 365

Analytics, a data mining consulting firm, about the relative popularity of various data
analysis software in 2010. The results of the survey are pictured in Figure 1. As seen, data
miners use R, SAS, and SPSS the most. Because 47%, 32%, and 32% percent of respondents
use R, SAS, and SPSS, respectively, it can be inferred that these are the software skills that the
greatest proportion of employers will continue to look for. However, this method only
examines the software that employers might seek if they are hiring, so it does not accurately
measure the software that they currently look for. Muenchen’s other method does this, studying
software skills that employers currently seek as they try to fill open positions. In this approach,
Muenchen puts together a rough sketch of statistical software capabilities sought by employers
by perusing the job advertising site, Indeed.com, a search site the comprises the major job
boards—Monster, Careerbuilder, Hotjobs, Craigslist—as well as many newspapers,
associations, and company websites (Muenchen, 2014). He summarized his discovery in Figure
2.

Figure 5: Jobs requiring various software (Muenchen, 2014)

As seen—in contrast to R’s greater usage by companies over SAS, illustrated in Figure 3—
job openings in SAS substantially lead open positions that require any other data analysis
software. For employers, SPSS and R skills finish in second and third place. This second
estimation method of Muenchen measures the software skill deficits in the job market. It seems
that the demand for people with SAS skills outweighs the number of individuals with this
capability. One reason for this disconnect could be that colleges and universities are not
teaching SAS skills in proportion to the demand for these skills.
366 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

16. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Two of the authors have had experience with each program (MatLab, Python, and R) within
a business class setting for one author and statistics setting for the other. In the next few
paragraphs they will be talking about their experiences in each of these programs in addition to
a brief discussion of SPSS, Stata, SAS, and Excel. The pros and cons of all the various
applications will be discussed from a student’s perspective including a description of how the
programs are being used in today’s classrooms to enhance the overall educational experience.
Although SPSS, SAS, and Excel are not the major software applications being discussed in this
paper, it is necessary to briefly discuss them since they are also major competitors that students
may encounter after graduation.
Microsoft Excel was probably the most commonplace software that was used in all of my
business classes to prepare students for performing everyday analytics in their future career.
Excel specifically can be used by small businesses to perform data mining for smaller data sets
that consist of up to a few thousand rows. Excel is extremely easy to use and since students are
often times introduced to the software in elementary school, it becomes second nature to go to
the program for everyday needs. Excel is so widely used that during an internship with a
Fortune 50 company, I used Excel daily to help me with basic analytics. Another pro of Excel
is that in later versions, you can use add-ins such as MegaStat that help with data analytics.
Microsoft has since decided to incorporate many analytical tools such as regression analysis,
time-series, and descriptive statistics into its Microsoft 2016 software. The major con of Excel
is that it cannot be used with big datasets and therefore is not a viable option when working
with big data.
The commonality of Excel may be one of the larger drawbacks to its usage in statistical
analyses; the knowledge of Excel was also something one was expected to have rather than
taught. The other author never learned how to use Excel in a formal setting. Rather, it was
scattered lessons and large gaps. The fact that Excel is considered to be common means that
one is simply to acquire the knowledge of it on one’s own time. This may lead to frustrating
course gaps where one is unable to keep up with the workload or where one must put more time
into learning the software than the class dictates solely because the understanding was assumed.
This is a persistent problem with commonplace software and could be remedied by having an
introductory-level course for those who may not have focused on the use of Excel before a
collegiate experience.
SPSS is considered a medium sized analytical tool since it can be used with bigger datasets
up to 2 billion cases. Although, SPSS is used for larger projects, it is still very easy to use since
it is menu driven. These menu options make SPSS a software that is quick to learn and since it
has many similarities to Excel, there is hardly any learning curve. This makes it a very good
option for business analytics classes since professors will not be required to spend copious
amounts of time acquainting students to a new program. I used SPSS in an Econometrics
course while handling an Enterprise Survey Dataset that contained approximately 12 million
cases. A con of SPSS that might not make it extremely attractive to be taught is that it can be
 Ceyhun Ozgur 367

difficult to perform data cleansing. Unlike using a programming language like R, SAS, or
Python, the user has to manually clean the dataset.
The similarities of SPSS to Excel end at the data-entry step. SPSS is designed primarily for
statistical analyses, whereas Excel has a multitude of uses. This means that one is required to
download additional updates to Excel in order to utilize it for statistics. SPSS, on the other hand,
comes with these packages pre-installed. SPSS is a menu-driven software, which makes it
somewhat unique as a statistical software. Most rely on some level of coding in order to input
and/or manipulate the data (though SPSS does have that capability as well). This makes it a
strong candidate as introductory analytics software. The ability of SPSS to handle large
numbers of cases means that students are able to work with a range of data sets in order to
understand the nuances as well as the general ideas of analytics. This software, being menu-
driven, is intuitive for the layperson to use and is a handy stepping-stone into other software as
students are able to being to learn to input code once they have mastered both the menu system
and the analysis outputs. Therefore, SPSS does have a place, but it should not be considered
one of the better software options for those who are looking to do serious statistical analyses or
to make a career as an analyst, because it functions so differently from the rest of the standard
software.
Stata is another software used for data analysis, primarily in the soft sciences such as
political science. The software is a nice balance between the user-friendliness of SPSS and the
coding applications of the other software. Stata still has menus available for those who are just
learning the program (or those who do better with a visualization of what the coded commands
are doing), but it primarily relies upon some level of code execution in order to work with the
data. This coding process is more strict than the process for SPSS, but not as strict as the purely
code-based software (such as SAS, R, or Python) are. This means that Stata could be
considered the next step between learning from menus and learning to code, especially if one is
interested in analytics. The largest drawback to Stata is that it may not necessarily be applicable
in certain scenarios. The smallest package of Stata is the most cost-friendly, but can only
handle between 1,000-3,000 cases depending on the complexity of the data. This means that it
is neither a tool for large data analysis or for learning the basics of analytics software at the
smaller levels, but that it can be used to understand the finer points of code without a coding
background. This means that students who are more interested in the analyses than the code,
and who might not understand the finer points of why a code has bugs or how to debug a code,
are able to learn without the vast learning curve that can make SAS a frustrating software to
start with.
SAS is an extremely popular analytics software that has been around for numerous years
(first limited release was in 1971). My experience with SAS in the classroom environment was
in an introduction to data analytics course and during a SAS Shootout Competition with other
schools nationwide. The biggest pro of SAS is that it can handle as many cases as your
computer has memory to process. This makes it an extremely useful analytical tool because
essentially no data set can be too big. I once asked a SAS representative how many cases SAS
could handle and their response was to ask me how many I needed. If your computer cannot
handle the billions of cases in a dataset then you can use SAS Cloud Analytics and have near
368 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

unlimited amounts of space. SAS was also the major analytical tool that my Fortune 50
employer used during my internship, and certification in the program was greatly desired. As a
student the biggest con of SAS is that you need to understand the programming language. This
creates a learning curve and unless a student is committed to the software it can take several
weeks to begin to understand how to even import a dataset and perform basic analytics or data
cleaning on a dataset.
SAS as a statistical software logically follows Excel, SPSS, and Stata. This software is
primarily code-based and functions much more like pure computer code than any of the other
aforementioned software packages. This means that the software requires more precise
commands and a better understanding of the underlying code principles in order for the user to
make the most of the software. SAS does have the advantage of being able to be run locally (as
in on one’s own machine) or over the internet, without requiring a download. This necessarily
makes it as available as Python and R, as there are no operating system restrictions. The largest
challenge comes with reading the log in case of an error and learning how a code can still
execute incorrectly even without producing an error message. For example, if one forgets the
semicolon at the end of a line, SAS will likely not execute the code at all. However, if one
omits a @ or @@ at the end of an input step, the code will still execute, but will miss many of
the data points. This means that SAS requires at least some mastery over the basic principles of
coding as well as understanding why and how errors are made. This makes the process a
frustrating one if students do not come in with knowledge of computer programming or other
software which relies, at least in some part, on the coding side of operation. However, this can
be mitigated by stepping them through the software in the suggested order, or by giving them
access to reading materials that cover the common mistakes made with coding and what an
error actually means.
R is a major analytical tool that I believe directly competes with SAS. My experience
using R was during my internship for the Fortune 50 corporation, where R was the second
largest widely used analytical tool for mining big data. I notice that the most difficult part of
using R is the natural programming syntax. When teaching to students this would need to be
kept in mind because it can be difficult to learn and use. On the contrary, R has a massive
amount of open source coding available online that can help users get started. This is useful for
those who have difficulty understanding the language because it offers a stepping stone into the
use of the program. Although R might be difficult to understand, once the user has a grasp on
the software, the computing capabilities allow the program to process billions of cases quickly.
MatLab is an interesting program that I used in both calculus and differential equations
courses. My main usage of MatLab was for basic computations and for graphing equations in
three dimensions. These are probably the biggest pros of MatLab in my opinion. It can be used
as a sophisticated calculator while also offering the user aesthetically pleasing graphical
representations of data. As a student I can say that the biggest downfall of MatLab is the lack
of open source code online for the program. Since the usage of the software requires a license
to operate the amount of code online is scarce. This means that you have to learn the coding for
every use of MatLab on your own without being able to use others preexisting code. Although
 Ceyhun Ozgur 369

this could be seen as a pro since it forces the users to immerse themselves in learning syntax, it
can become cumbersome if a specific command is not working.
Python was the first programming language that I ever learned and the program was
actually taught to me during a computer software course in high school. I later used the
program in an Economic Development Council Internship to perform basic analytics. This
brings up one of the biggest pros of Python, in my opinion, and that is that it is fairly easy to
learn and offers many add-on programs. For example, I have used Pandas, which is an open
source analytical tool that runs through Python. When you combine this ease of use with wide-
sweeping applications, that makes Python extremely attractive both in classrooms and in work
environments. You do not have to be a programmer to program in python. The commands are
extremely simple and you can run commands in Python to read datasets in other statistical
software such as SAS. Cons of the Python software include speed and the program’s inability
to identify and fix semantic errors which could be extremely frustrating when dealing with
large quantities of code to perform numerous actions. From a classroom perspective, the major
con of Python would be that although it is considered an introductory programming language,
this might turn away students who struggle to grasp syntax. However, I would like to note that
learning Python is much easier than learning SAS or R, but more difficult to learn than SPSS or
Excel.

17. CONCLUSION

In this paper we have discussed the pros and cons of Python, MatLab, and R. We have
compared and contrasted each of the languages to one another, while also talking about the
educational value of each program in a teaching environment. After reviewing all three of the
programs in depth, we have reached the conclusion that Python is the best language to be taught
in a classroom environment. This is because it is easy to use and will allow students access to
open source coding that can be found online when performing more difficult analysis.
However, we would like to note that R might be a better program to teach to students since it is
widely used in corporations around the nation for data mining. Having knowledge of a
program like R could provide students with a competitive advantage while looking for a job
upon graduation. In addition to R, SPSS or SAS could also be viable alternatives which should
be considered when teaching big data analytics to students.
370 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

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1Ceyhun Ozgur
Valparaiso University
[email protected]

2Taylor Colliau
Valparaiso University
[email protected]

3Grace Rogers
Valparaiso University
[email protected]

4Zachariah Hughes
Valparaiso University
[email protected]

5Elyse“Bennie” Myer-Tyson
Valparaiso University
[email protected]
 372 MatLab vs. Python vs. R

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