Why NumPy over Python lists - See It in Action

Why NumPy over Python lists

📖 Scenario: Imagine you are a data analyst working with numbers. You want to add many numbers quickly and easily. You can use Python lists or a special tool called NumPy. Let's see why NumPy is better for this job.

🎯 Goal: You will create a list and a NumPy array with the same numbers. Then, you will add all the numbers in both and see the difference in speed and ease.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a Python list with numbers from 1 to 1,000,000

Create a NumPy array with the same numbers

Calculate the sum of the list using a loop

Calculate the sum of the NumPy array using NumPy's sum function

Print both sums to compare results

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Data scientists often work with large sets of numbers. Using NumPy makes calculations faster and easier.

💼 Career

Knowing when and how to use NumPy is important for data analysis, machine learning, and scientific computing jobs.

1

Create a Python list with numbers from 1 to 1,000,000

Create a Python list called numbers_list that contains numbers from 1 to 1,000,000 using the range function and list().

NumPy

# Create a Python list called numbers_list with numbers 1 to 1,000,000
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use range(1, 1000001) inside list() to create the list.

2

Create a NumPy array with the same numbers

Import the numpy library as np. Then create a NumPy array called numbers_array with numbers from 1 to 1,000,000 using np.arange.

NumPy

numbers_list = list(range(1, 1000001))
# Import numpy as np and create numbers_array with np.arange
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use import numpy as np and np.arange(1, 1000001) to create the array.

3

Calculate the sum of the list using a loop

Create a variable called list_sum and set it to 0. Use a for loop with variable num to add each number in numbers_list to list_sum.

NumPy

numbers_list = list(range(1, 1000001))
import numpy as np
numbers_array = np.arange(1, 1000001)

list_sum = 0
# Use a for loop to add numbers in numbers_list to list_sum
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Start with list_sum = 0. Then add each num from numbers_list to list_sum inside the loop.

4

Calculate the sum of the NumPy array and print both sums

Create a variable called array_sum and set it to the sum of numbers_array using np.sum(). Then print list_sum and array_sum on separate lines.

NumPy

numbers_list = list(range(1, 1000001))
import numpy as np
numbers_array = np.arange(1, 1000001)

list_sum = 0
for num in numbers_list:
    list_sum += num

# Calculate array_sum using np.sum and print both sums
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use array_sum = np.sum(numbers_array) and then print both sums.