Impractical Python Projects

 You can think of this as your second Python book. It’s designed to follow and complement either a complete beginner’s book or an introductory class. You’ll be able to continue self­training using a project­based approach, without wasting your money or shelf space on a thorough rehashing of concepts you’ve already learned. But don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging; all the code is annotated and explained.

 These projects are for anyone who wants to use programming to conduct experiments, test theories, simulate nature, or just have fun. This includes people who use programming as part of their jobs (like scientists and engineers) but who aren’t programmers per se, as well as those I call the “determined non­specialists”— dilettantes and dabblers who enjoy programming problems as a fun pastime. If you’ve wanted to toy with the concepts presented here but found starting potentially complicated projects from scratch too daunting or time­consuming, this book is for you.