One way that you can spot a computer scientist is that they begin counting from 0 rather than from 1. So this is Chapter 0. But it’s also Chapter 0 to signify that it’s a warm-up chapter to get you on the path to feeling comfortable with Python, the programming language that we’ll be using in this book. Every subsequent chapter will begin with an application in biology followed by the computer science ideas that we’ll need to solve that problem.
Python is a programming language that, according to its designers, aims to combine “remarkable power with very clear syntax.” Indeed, Python programs tend to be relatively short and easy to read. Perhaps for this reason, Python is growing rapidly in popularity among computer scientists, biologists, and others.
The best way to learn to program is to experiment! Therefore, we strongly urge you to pause frequently as you read this book and try some of the things that we’re doing here (and experiment with variations) in Python. It will make the reading more fun and meaningful.
Review the options below to login to check your access.
Log in with your Cambridge Aspire website account to check access.
If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.