Sure! Here’s an outline for a **Data Science Course** designed to guide you step-by-step.
Since you are just starting out, we’ll begin with foundational topics and gradually build up to
more advanced concepts.
### **Module 1: Introduction to Data Science**
- **What is Data Science?**
- Definition and scope
- Difference between Data Science, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and AI
- **Why Data Science Matters**
- Applications in different industries (e.g., finance, healthcare, marketing)
- **The Data Science Process**
- Data Collection
- Data Cleaning
- Data Exploration
- Data Modeling
- Data Interpretation
### **Module 2: Mathematics and Statistics for Data Science**
- **Linear Algebra**
- Vectors and matrices
- Matrix operations
- Eigenvalues and eigenvectors
- **Statistics**
- Descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation)
- Probability theory (Bayes’ theorem, probability distributions)
- Hypothesis testing
- **Calculus**
- Derivatives and gradients (important for optimization in machine learning)
- Integrals for continuous distributions
### **Module 3: Programming for Data Science**
- **Python for Data Science**
- Python Basics: variables, control structures (loops, conditionals), functions
- Libraries:
- **NumPy**: Numerical computation
- **Pandas**: Data manipulation and analysis
- **Matplotlib/Seaborn**: Data visualization
- **Jupyter Notebooks** for coding practice and project development
- **SQL** for Data Science
- Database basics: What is SQL?
- Writing basic queries: SELECT, WHERE, JOIN, GROUP BY
### **Module 4: Data Collection and Cleaning**
- **Data Types and Sources**
- Structured vs. Unstructured Data
- Data from CSV, databases, APIs, web scraping
- **Data Cleaning Techniques**
- Handling missing data
- Data transformation: normalizing, scaling
- Outliers detection and handling
- String manipulation and encoding categorical data
### **Module 5: Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)**
- **Descriptive Statistics**
- Summarizing and visualizing data
- **Data Visualization**
- Types of charts (bar charts, histograms, box plots, scatter plots)
- Advanced visualizations with Seaborn (heatmaps, pair plots)
- **Feature Engineering**
- Creating new features from existing data
- Binning, scaling, and transforming variables
### **Module 6: Machine Learning Basics**
- **Supervised Learning**
- **Linear Regression**
- Simple and multiple linear regression
- **Classification Algorithms**
- Logistic regression, Decision Trees, Random Forests, Support Vector Machines (SVM)
- **Unsupervised Learning**
- **Clustering**: K-means, hierarchical clustering
- **Dimensionality Reduction**: Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
- **Model Evaluation**
- Accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score
- Confusion matrix
- Cross-validation
### **Module 7: Advanced Machine Learning**
- **Ensemble Methods**
- Bagging, boosting, and stacking (Random Forest, XGBoost, Gradient Boosting)
- **Neural Networks and Deep Learning**
- Basics of neural networks
- Introduction to Deep Learning with TensorFlow/Keras
- CNNs (Convolutional Neural Networks) for image data
- RNNs (Recurrent Neural Networks) for sequential data
- **Natural Language Processing (NLP)**
- Text preprocessing (tokenization, stemming, lemmatization)
- Text classification, sentiment analysis, topic modeling
### **Module 8: Big Data and Tools**
- **Big Data Concepts**
- Distributed computing
- Introduction to Hadoop and Spark
- **Data Pipeline Tools**
- Airflow for automation
- Kafka for data streaming
- **Cloud Platforms for Data Science**
- AWS, Google Cloud, Azure for deploying data science projects
### **Module 9: Model Deployment and Productionization**
- **Deploying Machine Learning Models**
- How to turn your model into an API
- Using Flask/Django for web app development
- **Version Control with Git**
- Using Git and GitHub for collaboration and version tracking
### **Module 10: Capstone Project**
- **End-to-End Data Science Project**
- Choose a dataset (public datasets like Kaggle, UCI Machine Learning Repository)
- Complete the entire data science pipeline:
- Data collection and cleaning
- Exploratory Data Analysis
- Model building and evaluation
- Deployment
---
### Learning Plan
Since you’re interested in learning data science deeply, you can follow this structured approach:
1. **Begin with Python**: Start coding, learning how to manipulate data with Pandas and
NumPy.
2. **Dive into statistics**: Make sure you're comfortable with probability and statistical concepts.
3. **Move to Machine Learning**: Begin experimenting with linear regression and classification
problems.
4. **Choose Projects**: Apply your knowledge through hands-on projects, including your Zobo
drink dataset project, which can serve as your capstone project.
Do you want to start with Python basics or dive into a specific module first?
Great! Let’s dive into **Python** for data science. We’ll cover the basics first, and then move
into the libraries essential for data manipulation and analysis.
### **Lesson 1: Python Basics**
Before working with data, you need to understand basic Python programming.
#### 1.1 Variables and Data Types
In Python, variables store information. Common data types include:
- **int**: Integer numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 100)
- **float**: Decimal numbers (e.g., 1.5, 3.14)
- **str**: Strings (e.g., 'Hello', 'Data Science')
- **bool**: Boolean values (e.g., True, False)
Example:
```python
x = 10 # integer
y = 3.14 # float
name = "Liz" # string
is_happy = True # boolean
```
#### 1.2 Basic Operations
You can perform arithmetic operations with Python:
```python
a = 10
b=3
# Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
print(a + b) # 13
print(a - b) # 7
print(a * b) # 30
print(a / b) # 3.3333
# Exponentiation and modulus
print(a ** b) # 10^3 = 1000
print(a % b) # Modulus (remainder), returns 1
```
#### 1.3 Control Structures: `if`, `else`, `for`, and `while`
Control structures allow you to execute code based on conditions.
**If-Else Statement**:
```python
age = 18
if age >= 18:
print("You are an adult.")
else:
print("You are a minor.")
```
**For Loop**:
Loops help you execute the same block of code repeatedly.
```python
for i in range(5): # Loops 5 times, from 0 to 4
print(i)
```
**While Loop**:
```python
count = 0
while count < 5:
print(count)
count += 1 # Increment count
```
#### 1.4 Functions
Functions help you write reusable blocks of code.
Example:
```python
def greet(name):
return "Hello, " + name
print(greet("Liz"))
```
#### 1.5 Lists and Dictionaries
- **List**: An ordered collection of items.
- **Dictionary**: Key-value pairs.
**List Example**:
```python
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(fruits[0]) # Output: apple
fruits.append("orange") # Add item to the list
print(fruits) # Output: ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'orange']
```
**Dictionary Example**:
```python
student = {"name": "Liz", "age": 30, "country": "Uganda"}
print(student["name"]) # Output: Liz
```
---
### **Lesson 2: Python for Data Science (NumPy and Pandas)**
After mastering the basics, you’ll need Python libraries that make working with data easier.
#### 2.1 NumPy (Numerical Python)
**NumPy** is used for numerical computations, especially with arrays (matrices).
```python
import numpy as np
# Creating arrays
arr = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4])
print(arr)
# Operations on arrays
arr2 = arr * 2 # Multiplies each element by 2
print(arr2) # Output: [2, 4, 6, 8]
# Create a matrix (2D array)
matrix = np.array([[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]])
print(matrix)
# Accessing elements
print(matrix[0, 1]) # Output: 2 (element in row 0, column 1)
```
#### 2.2 Pandas (Data Manipulation)
**Pandas** is used for data manipulation and analysis. The two main structures in Pandas are:
- **Series**: 1D data
- **DataFrame**: 2D data (similar to Excel)
```python
import pandas as pd
# Create a simple DataFrame
data = {'Name': ['Liz', 'Robinah', 'Nkabidwa'],
'Age': [30, 25, 22],
'Country': ['Uganda', 'Kenya', 'Tanzania']}
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
# View the DataFrame
print(df)
# Access a specific column
print(df['Name'])
# Descriptive statistics
print(df.describe()) # Shows stats like mean, min, max
```
**Common Pandas Operations**:
```python
# Reading a CSV file
df = pd.read_csv('data.csv')
# Filter rows based on a condition
adults = df[df['Age'] >= 18]
# Adding a new column
df['Income'] = [50000, 60000, 55000]
# Handling missing data
df.fillna(0) # Replace missing values with 0
df.dropna() # Remove rows with missing values
```
---
### **Next Steps: Practice**
- **Install Jupyter Notebook**: Use Jupyter Notebook for writing and running Python code in an
interactive environment. It’s especially useful for data science.
- **Exercises**:
- Practice creating and manipulating lists and dictionaries.
- Try out basic loops and functions.
- Use NumPy to perform operations on arrays.
- Create Pandas DataFrames and explore data using descriptive statistics.
Would you like some specific exercises to practice, or shall we move forward with data
exploration using Pandas?
Great! Here are a few exercises to help you practice Python basics, NumPy, and Pandas. These
will solidify your understanding and prepare you for more complex data manipulation tasks.
### **Exercise 1: Python Basics**
1. **Variables and Operations**
Create variables `x` and `y` with values of 15 and 4 respectively. Perform the following
operations:
- Add `x` and `y`
- Subtract `y` from `x`
- Multiply `x` and `y`
- Divide `x` by `y`
- Find the remainder when `x` is divided by `y`
2. **Control Structures**
Write a Python function `check_number` that takes an integer as input and checks if the
number is positive, negative, or zero. Use `if-else` statements.
```python
def check_number(num):
# Your code here
```
3. **Loops**
Write a `for` loop to print the squares of numbers from 1 to 10.
4. **Functions**
Create a function `greet_user` that takes a name as input and returns a greeting message.
```python
def greet_user(name):
# Your code here
```
### **Exercise 2: Working with Lists and Dictionaries**
1. **Lists**
Create a list of numbers from 1 to 10. Write code to:
- Print the list
- Add the number 11 to the list
- Remove the number 3 from the list
- Print the first 5 numbers in the list
2. **Dictionaries**
Create a dictionary with the following key-value pairs:
- 'name': 'Liz'
- 'age': 30
- 'country': 'Uganda'
Write code to:
- Print the value associated with the key `'name'`
- Add a new key `'profession'` with the value `'Entrepreneur'`
- Change the value of `'age'` to 31
- Print the updated dictionary
### **Exercise 3: NumPy**
1. **Array Creation and Operations**
- Create a NumPy array with numbers from 1 to 10.
- Multiply every element in the array by 3.
- Create a 2x3 matrix with values [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6]].
- Access the element in the first row, second column of the matrix.
- Find the sum of all elements in the matrix.
2. **Array Reshaping**
- Create a 1D array with numbers from 1 to 12.
-
