Python vs Matlab

Difference Between Python vs Matlab

Python is a high-level programming language. Python is an interpreted, interactive and object-oriented programming language similar to PERL or Ruby. It is mainly designed to be easy to read and very simple to implement. It is open-source, which means it is free to use. Python can run on all the operating systems. MATLAB is a high-performance language that is generally used for the purpose of technical computing. It integrates computation, visualization, and programming in an easy-to-use environment where problems and solutions are expressed in familiar mathematical notation.

Python

• Python is a widely used language. It is designed initially by Guido Van Rossum in 1991 and developed in Python software foundation. It is mainly developed for emphasis on code readability. Python is a programming language that lets you work quickly and integrate systems more efficiently.
• There are two major Python versions– Python 2 and Python 3. Both are quite different. Python basically a programming language. The most common implementation is in C, so it called as CPython and finally referred to as Python. Python also has an extensive standard library.

Python uses and Features:

1. Easy to learn(clean, clear syntax).
2. High portable (runs almost anywhere – High-end servers and workstations).
3. Extensible and free.
4. Uses white space to delimit blocks.

Productivity:: Reduced development time and improved program maintenance and python are mainly used for rapid prototyping, Web scripting, XML processing, GUI applications, etc.

Matlab

Matlab is an abbreviation for Matrix Laboratory. It is mainly suited for matrix manipulation and program solving related to Linear Algebra. It offers many additional Toolboxes such as control design, Image processing, Digital signal processing ETC.

Matlab uses and Features::

1. Working through a simulation(Save time, save human lives, reduce costs, etc.)
2. Employing image processing.
3. Matlab is not only a programming language but also a programming interface.
4. The addition of toolboxes can greatly expand Matlab’s functionality. These are sets of specific functions that provided more specialized functionality. Ex: Excel link allows data to be written in a format recognized by Excel, Statistics Toolbox allows more specialized statistical manipulation of data (ANOVA, Basic Fits, etc.)

Productivity:: Example: Spending most of the time in preparing data for analysis.

In the above scenario, most of the time will be getting wasted in preparing manually; in this context, Matlab can automate the collection and preparation of data for better analysis. With Matlab, we can reduce the time and accuracy.

Head to Head Comparison Between Python and Matlab (Infographics)

Below are the top 8 comparisons between Python and Matlab:

Key Differences Between Python and Matlab

Let us look at the differences between Python and Matlab:

• MATLAB is the programming language, and it is the part of commercial MATLAB software that is often employed in research and industry. It is an example of high-level scripting and also named as 4th generation language.
• Python is another high-level language and very similar to MATLAB: it is interpreted, has an interactive prompt, allows dynamic typing and provides automatic memory management (and comes with in-built complex numbers).
• Matlab is somewhat particular about the way that data must be read in, and commands must be executed. This is a somewhat expected problem, as software that tends to be more open-code is less layperson-friendly. Therefore, while this is a downfall of directly working with Matlab.
• Python is easier to make ideas into a coding language. With this free program, it comes with libraries, lists, and dictionaries that will help the programmer achieve their ultimate goal in a well-organized way. It is used by working with a variety of modules, which allows it to start up very quickly.

 Python and Matlab Comparison Table

Below is the list of points that explains the comparison between Python vs Matlab:

Basis Of Comparison Between Python vs Matlab	Python	Matlab
Definition	Numeric arrays and data type(A high-level, general-purpose programming language)	Math and Matrix oriented languages(MATLAB is the high-performance language for technical computing)
Usage	Python can be used for web programming (Zope, Google App Engine, and much more)	MATLAB allows matrix manipulations, plotting of functions and data, creation of user interfaces
Benefits	Extensive support libraries. Open source and community development.	Matlab allows you to test algorithms immediately without the act of compiling,
Performance	High-performance linear algebra, graphics, and statistics. Optimized library calls	Improved performance requires installing, compiling, validating, and adopting developer-oriented add-ons.
Academics	It was developed by the Python software foundation in the year 1991.	Matlab basic version is on the market since the 1970s.
Library	It consists of an extensive standard library	The standard library does not contain generic programming functionality.
Real-time Support	Personalized email and phone support	No personalized real-time support
Embedded Code Generation	No comprehensive, Automatic  code generation for embedded systems.	MATLAB code generates readable, portable c and c++ code.

Conclusion

Finally, to conclude, Python vs Matlab both are having advantages and disadvantages. Both Python and Matlab are very successful in the market. Python is the recent once if we compare it with Matlab and specially designed for cloud environment (As the data is growing continuously, we keep on updating the Servers and DB’s). Here we have discussed the pros and Cons of Python and Matlab.

MATLAB is an interactive system whose basic data element is an array that does not require dimensioning. This allows you to solve many technical computing problems, especially those with matrix and vector formulations, in a fraction of the time it would take to write a program in a scalar non-interactive language such as C or FORTRAN.

MATLAB has evolved over a period of years with input from many users. It is the standard instructional tool for introductory and advanced courses in mathematics, engineering, and science in university environments. In the industry, MATLAB is the tool of choice for high-productivity research, development, and analysis.

Python is also one of the top coding languages, as of 2014). This language is required, or at least used, by the overwhelming majority of computer science courses in United States colleges and many more colleges all over the world. This means that learning Python is almost essential if one wishes to pursue any degree that requires some fundamental knowledge of coding and/or computer science practices, especially for those looking to start a career in data analytics(Because of open source).

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