> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.solids.group/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.solids.group/computing/python-on-windows.md).

# Python on Windows

{% hint style="warning" %}
This is old and kind of dated and should probably be cleaned or replaced.
{% endhint %}

## Option 1: Google Colaboratory

Google Colaboratory is the preferred option for many course and research-adjacent Python tasks. Go to [Google Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/) to create an interactive Python Jupyter notebook.

## Option 2: WinPython and Spyder

If you need to run Python locally on Windows, you can use Spyder through WinPython.

1. Download [WinPython](https://winpython.github.io/).
2. Install it on your PC.
3. Open the Spyder application.

Spyder provides a script editor and an output panel.

![Spyder on Windows](/files/fXv1oMg2zmMdtlKxvcNa)

## Plotting Example: sin(x)

Use the following code to plot a simple trigonometric function:

```python
import numpy
import pylab

X = numpy.linspace(0, 1, 100)
Y = numpy.sin(2 * X * numpy.pi)

pylab.plot(X, Y)
pylab.show()
```

To save a figure instead of showing it interactively:

```python
# pylab.show()
pylab.savefig(r'C:\Users\brunnels\Desktop\myfile.png')
```

The output format is determined by the file extension.

## Plotting Example: Singularity Brackets

The following script plots functions using singularity brackets by defining a `bracket` function.

```python
import numpy
import pylab

def bracket(x, n):
    return 0.5 * (numpy.sign(x) + 1) * (x**n)

L = 1
X = numpy.linspace(0, 2, 1000)

Y0 = bracket(X - L, 0)
Y1 = bracket(X - L, 1)
Y2 = bracket(X - L, 2)

pylab.plot(X, Y0, label="^0")
pylab.plot(X, Y1, label="^1")
pylab.plot(X, Y2, label="^2")

pylab.legend()
pylab.show()
```

Example output:

![Singularity bracket plot](/files/3Hs4fi53Z3PQPoSRLFNa)


---

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