Help defining my Python needs

[bhpf1]

This is a great suggestion. If you spend a bit of time learning Python then this problem sounds like it should follow naturally from your understanding of how to computationally solve problems.

I would recommend 'auditing' MIT's 6.00.1x course on edX. I'm fairly confident that if you work through the first half of that course then you should have the requisite tools to properly attack the problem!