Data Science Programming All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 3

Working with Scalars, Vectors, and Matrices

IN THIS CHAPTER

Using matrixes and vectors to perform calculations

Obtaining the correct combinations

Employing recursive techniques to obtain specific results

Considering ways to speed calculations

In Book 2, Chapter 1, you discover techniques for locating the data you need and use it for data science needs (Book 2, Chapter 4 continues this discussion). Simply knowing how to control a language by using its constructs to perform tasks isn’t enough, though. The goal of mathematical algorithms is to turn one kind of data into another kind of data. Manipulating data means taking raw input and doing something with it to achieve a desired result. For example, until you do something with traffic data, you can’t see the patterns that emerge that tell you where to spend additional money in improvements. The traffic data in its raw form does nothing to inform you; you must manipulate it to see the pattern in a useful manner. Therefore, those arcane mathematical symbols are useful after all. You use them as a sort of machine to turn raw ...