Getting Started with Google Colab
Phase IV moves to a real tool that professionals use: Google Colab. Here's how to get set up with an adult's help — plus free alternatives if you'd rather not use Google.
Data Detective — load and chart real data in Google Colab with pandas and matplotlib.
Phase IV moves to a real tool that professionals use: Google Colab. Here's how to get set up with an adult's help — plus free alternatives if you'd rather not use Google.
Notebooks work a little differently from the editors you've used. Learn how cells run, how they share memory, and confirm all your Python skills work in Colab.
Load a real table of data about Antarctic penguins with pandas, and take your first look — how many rows, what columns, and what the data actually says.
Pull out exactly the columns you care about, see which values appear, and treat a column like the lists you already know. The first move of a data detective.
Ask the data questions like 'show me only the heavy penguins' or 'just the Gentoos.' Filter rows by a condition, combine conditions, and sort the results.
Answer the big data questions: how many of each kind? what's the average per group? Meet value_counts and groupby — the heart of data analysis.
Add your own columns calculated from the data, and find the record-holders — the single heaviest penguin, the longest flipper — not just the averages.
Turn numbers into pictures. Make bar charts from your data with one line — counts of each species, average weight per group — and actually see the story.
Bars aren't the only chart. Meet histograms, scatter plots, and line charts — and learn which one answers which kind of question.
A chart without labels is a mystery. Add titles, axis labels, and color, then save your chart as an image you can share.
The penguin skills work on any dataset. Load other built-in datasets, or any CSV from the web, and explore something you actually care about.
The big finish for Phase IV. Pick a dataset, ask three questions, answer them with stats and charts, and write up what you discovered — a real data report.