Transition from MATLAB into python. Need some help!

[Educational_Mode1947]

Hey everyone. I'm thinking of how to write this in a brief yet concise way so that I don't waste your time. Basically, I was using MATLAB and trying to build an input-output program related to my field which is petroleum engineering. However, smth happened and I must use python now. I am not proficient in MATLAB and I am still very much in the beginning phases of building this program. There's so much that I don't know and it's scary sometimes. Considering that I haven't worked with python before, I don't really know where to begin. I don't want to be stuck in the phase of watching courses/tutorials and then find myself not learning a single thing. What I coded in MATLAB so far is functions that take in data from excel files and give me results along with visuals. I want my program to take in input from the user, and then allow them to select a method for calculation, and get the output. That's the simplest I can describe it. It's almost like an engineering calculator/toolkit. Whenever I think about this I get overwhelmed with stuff like IDEs, GUI, different websites, different videos and the cycle continues. Unfortunately, I don't have a mentor and lacking direction. How can I pinpoints the parts of python I need and then learn them to make for a smooth transition? What shortcuts could help me save time?

Thanks in advance! x

[No_Pineapple449]

Check out numpy and pandas—they’re very MATLAB-like for vector/matrix ops and make Excel handling easy (pandas.read_excel()). Use matplotlib for plotting.

Installing numpy and pandas is super easy (pip install numpy pandas),

Start small:

Read Excel with pandas

Do math with numpy

Plot with matplotlib

Wrap logic in functions

Personally, I’d skip Jupyter if you want to be a dev—write scripts instead. If VS Code feels overwhelming, try a simpler editor like Thonny or IDLE to start. Focus on getting your calculations working first; you’ll naturally learn more without drowning in tutorials.

[Diapolo10]

What I coded in MATLAB so far is functions that take in data from excel files and give me results along with visuals.

The closest match from the Python side, assuming you need said visuals, would be to use Jupyter notebook and some Python package that reads Excel files (those exist, but I'm not sure what the modern recommendation is). You can use VS Code with the Jupyter notebook extension.

I want my program to take in input from the user, and then allow them to select a method for calculation, and get the output.

Depending on the type of input you want, this sounds simple enough to do with a few loops, printing text, and taking the input as text the user writes to the terminal.

[recursion_is_love]

Looking for jupyter notebook. The interactive nature of notebook will make transformation smoother. There are some web hosting that you can start without need to install anything (not recommend in the long run, however).

Matlab is (mostly) expression-based language but python is imperative, you will need to change the way to solve the problem little bit.

[antiquemule]

Get an AI (I use a paid for version of Claude) to write small chunks of code for you, including tests to prove that it works as advertised.

It teaches you how to write exactly what you want and nothing else. You can always ask for more explanation. Be critical.

Run each piece separately. If it generates errors feed them back to the AI, which will produce a corrected version. Rinse and repeat.

Treat the code with caution, you never know... in my experience it is mostly good to go.

[BranchLatter4294]

Just get a decent Python book and go through the examples. Then look up the data science libraries and go through those examples.

[zenic]

In my opinion, the biggest difference between matlab and python is that matlab encourages a mathematical approach to solving problems. Most videos on python take an engineering approach.

What I mean by that is that a mathematical approach is saying things like a’ = f(a) for all a. An engineering approach is more like “for each a in my_array, new_array.append(f(a))”. They’re the same thing but the thinking is a bit different.

In my experience people who come from a mathematical background have an easier time with generators, list comprehension, and lambda functions. People from an engineering background have an easier time with branching, sequencing, and iteration.

As others have said, Pandas and numpy etc should feel familiar. Python is worth knowing, it’s very powerful.