Getting Started with Pandas: The Power Tool for Data Analysis in Python

Introduction

If you work with data, pandas is your best friend. It lets you manipulate, analyze, and visualize data with just a few lines of code.

Installation

pip install pandas

Basic Objects

• Series – 1D array with labels
• DataFrame – 2D table with rows & columns

Creating DataFrames

import pandas as pd

data = {
    'Name': ['AF4', 'Shadow', 'Wolf'],
    'Score': [90, 85, 95]
}

df = pd.DataFrame(data)
print(df)

Reading & Writing Files

df = pd.read_csv('file.csv')
df.to_csv('output.csv', index=False)

DataFrame Operations

print(df.describe())  # Stats summary
print(df.head())      # First few rows

df['Score'] = df['Score'] + 5

Filtering & Selection

high_scores = df[df['Score'] > 90]
print(high_scores)

Grouping and Aggregation

df.groupby('Name').mean()

Conclusion

pandas is the heart of Python data analysis. Once you get comfortable, you'll fly through any dataset like a pro.