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My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

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Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#11

Post by lutusp »

DrorY wrote: post #9
lutusp wrote: post #7

Because for her, programming will be a means to an end, and that end is data analysis and statistics, I recommend that she learn Python and its scientific and analytical libraries like numpy and scipy. Python is relatively easy to learn, it's free, and it can produce useful results with little effort. Python: http://www.python.org/ Scipy: http://scipy.org/ Examples of scipy's output: https://www.google.com/search?q=s…

While this is true, it seems as though Matlab is the tool used for her work at her laboratory, she needs to join an already going project.

Ah, too bad. Matlab his a steeper learning curve than Python.

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#12

Post by zachgalant »

DrorY wrote: post #8
zachgalant wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

no, we don't teach matlab. maybe we'll add that in the future. for now, I think she'd just get a lot out of learning some of the fundamentals of programming rather than diving straight into matlab. having a grasp of some of the basics will only help her understanding of matlab, and I'd even recommend trying to work on it concurrently. If she gets started on CodeHS, I guarantee she'll learn a lot and have fun in the p…

What would be the closet thing to Matlab she could learn in codehs? (Similar syntax similar core concepts) Do you have any plans of adding Matlab anytime soon?

No plans for matlab just yet, but it's on our longer term todo list.

She'd learn these topics:

* Function decomposition

* programming style

* good problem decomposition

* parameters and return values

* control structures (for, while, if)

* Variables and scoping

* boolean logic

* data structures: arrays, maps, grids, dictionaries

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#13

Post by defrost »

DrorY wrote: post #9
lutusp wrote: post #7

Because for her, programming will be a means to an end, and that end is data analysis and statistics, I recommend that she learn Python and its scientific and analytical libraries like numpy and scipy. Python is relatively easy to learn, it's free, and it can produce useful results with little effort. Python: http://www.python.org/ Scipy: http://scipy.org/ Examples of scipy's output: https://www.google.com/search?q=s…

While this is true, it seems as though Matlab is the tool used for her work at her laboratory, she needs to join an already going project.

If she hasn't done it already or else if she's forgotten it would be a good idea to sit in on a first year linear algebra and or statistics class.

Matlab (and/or numpy / sage / any of the "math" packages) work best performing operations on vectors and matrices of data (long strings of values / grids & cubes (&hyper cubes) of values ).

Expanding on the "little mathematics background" is more important than the "no matlab" issue, one follows from the other.

If she's headed into epidemiology and other such areas then make sure she's read "How To Lie With Statistics" at the very least.

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#14

Post by DrorY »

lutusp wrote: post #11
DrorY wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While this is true, it seems as though Matlab is the tool used for her work at her laboratory, she needs to join an already going project.

Ah, too bad. Matlab his a steeper learning curve than Python.

yeah, I think it's the major reason for her fearing this field

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#15

Post by DrorY »

dragonbonheur wrote: post #10
dragonbonheur wrote: post #4

Get a book. That's how people learn. No exceptions.

Or just use Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=matlab+programming+filetype:p...

Yeah, it's possible, If that's the case can you recommend any top notch books for absolute beginners?

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#16

Post by sitong »

You might want to start with some lecture notes from universities. A quick google search led me to these:

Stanford: http://white.stanford.edu/~knk/Psych216A/ MIT: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput...

If she needs both stats and matlab help, your best bet is probably to search something like "statistics and matlab tutorial" on google: https://www.google.com/search?q=statistics+and+matlab+tutori...

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#17

Post by lutusp »

DrorY wrote: post #14
lutusp wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, too bad. Matlab his a steeper learning curve than Python.

yeah, I think it's the major reason for her fearing this field

For what it's worth, if she takes the time to learn how to use these math tools -- and learns the math itself -- she will place herself in a powerful position with respect to future research work, just because so few people bother to acquire a solid grounding in analysis.

I would offer her every encouragement to take the time and absorb the basics of both programming and math. At the moment, a grounding in these topics is essential, and in the future, it will be even more of a necessity than it is now.

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#19

Post by eaurouge »

MATLAB isn't too hard to get started on. It is, after all, a high-level language; and I rank it as providing a higher level of abstraction than Ruby and Python. To get started, ask her to read a MATLAB primer[1][2]. That's all she'll need to get started.

Her time is better spent learning to make the most of whichever MATLAB toolboxes she needs for her research. A course on basic linear algebra, and/or other math topics, is also more relevant than learning how to program.

1. http://www.stanford.edu/class/ee278b/matlab_primer.pdf

2. http://faculty.olin.edu/bstorey/Notes/matlab.pdf

Edit: I just want to reiterate that one can use MATLAB without knowing how to program. I see other comments suggesting a full on programming course but she doesn't need this at all. In many engineering courses, first year undergrads can be expected to learn all they need to start "programming" with MATLAB over the course of a weekend.

Re: My girlfriend who's an MD wants to learn how to program. How should she start?

#20

Post by dragonbonheur »

DrorY wrote: post #15
dragonbonheur wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just use Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=matlab+programming+filetype:p...

Yeah, it's possible, If that's the case can you recommend any top notch books for absolute beginners?

From what I can see, Matlab looks simple enough that she might be able to understand it from the various tutorials that the above google search results lead to. Even easier than Python. In fact it looks just like a dialect of BASIC or LUA, only with semicolons. No biggie for a beginner.
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