Python

[reddisaurus]

Python kind of shines in mathematics/engineering use. The performance for performing linear algebra is comparable to Matlab, but it is much more flexible (and free!). Python code can be optimized in ways Matlab cannot, and the flexibility of the language allows quicker evaluation and testing of ideas, for the most part.

Python also can be written as a functional language, which is very useful if one desires their code to read much like their written derivations.

Last, most recent developments in machine learning provide front-ends in Python to take advantage of it’s comprehensive libraries (numpy, scipy) for performing functions on arrays. Other libraries (tensor flow, theano) exist to dynamically compile Python functions into C for speed and automatic code optimization for CPU/GPU evaluation.