You will get a math refresher with a twist. Instead of using a pencil and paper or a graphing calculator, you'll learn how to write the Python code to do all of the calculations for you.

Building one step at a time, you will create projects that you can use as your personal super calculator. This curriculum uses Google Colaboratory, which is like a Jupyter Notebook, to write and execute Python code in your Google Drive.

With the Google Colab app, you can even write and run the code from your phone. If you are not familiar with Google Colaboratory, here is an article about how to set it up.

This is just the beginning. We are making steady progress on building out additional math and Python-focused courses, as part of our upcoming Data Science Curriculum Expansion.

Why is Math Useful for Developers?

This Algebra-level math will directly relate to the calculations you will do for Statistics and Data Analysis in your job as a developer. We call it "Foundational Math" because you will build upon these skills when developing other applications.

Working with coordinates will help you to plan the layout of a scene or a page. Distance formulas and angle calculations will help you with game development (and proximity detection).

Incrementing and testing numerical values in loops will help you to make predictions based on initial values and trends. Solving for unknown values will help you with financial planning and business software development.

Because any aspect of code (or life) can be numerical, math is the language to describe relationships. You will find deeper wisdom in the numbers.

What We'll Cover in This Course

Throughout this course, you will learn how to write code to display the graph of almost any function, calculate almost any formula, and “solve for x.” You will also be building an extensive resource that you can use and modify in the future.

By the end of the course, you will have a solid understanding of key concepts in math, and you will also have your own library of Colab Notebooks that apply these concepts.

Here is an example of an early step:

Like many freeCodeCamp courses, this course has five parts. The five parts to this course each lead to a certification project that aggregates what you've learned in the preceding steps.

Here is an example, from close to the end of the course, to illustrate how the learning still proceeds in manageable steps:

Python Math Course Outline

In this course, you will go through the major math topics from Algebra to the Y axis (the Z axis will appear in a subsequent course). This course is still in beta testing, so I invite you to try it out and leave comments in the forum.

Eventually, I want people to discuss the math and create Python scripts for each other. If you have any basic knowledge of Python, you will be able to navigate this course.

Here is a description of each part, with links to the Colab notebooks:

Part 1 – Math in Python

In the beginning, you'll build on a basic understanding of Python to show you how to handle input and apply mathematical formulas. You will even learn how to “solve for x” with code.

• Colab notebook for part 1

Part 2 – Graphs

In this part, you'll focus on graphing. You will learn how to plot points, lines, and functions. You will also learn how to create tables and interactive graphs.

• Colab notebook for part 2

Part 3 – Advanced Math

Now you'll dive deeper with polynomials, exponential functions, and more complex formulas. You will write code to calculate mortgage payments, estimate retirement account balances, and do other useful things.

• Colab notebook for part 3

Part 4 – Angles and Trigonometry

This part will teach you how to write code for lines and angles on graphs. You will use trigonometry to find distances, midpoints, and angles. Animated graphs included.

• Colab notebook for part 4

Part 5 – Sequences and Summation

This section will walk you through sequence and series calculations, then goes into probability. Along the way, you will learn about summation and counting principles.

• Colab notebook for part 5

Beyond the Jupyter Notebook

The latest version of the Texas Instruments TI-84 calculator can run Python code! The TI-84 is the “go-to” calculator for students in any class that involves graphing and formulas. You can write the programs on your computer and run them on your calculator. In this course, you will develop your math and Python skills to do so.

Now, we are still calling this the “beta version” of the course, and even that might be a little optimistic. You are getting early access to this content that we will continue to improve, and I welcome your feedback.

My goal is that this is just the beginning, and we all create more notebooks and scripts and functions in the Google Colaboratory and share them with each other.

By the way, I'm Ed, and I have been teaching high school students for 18 years and college students for 15 years. I created this course. You can email me your thoughts at ed@freecodecamp.org and I'll share them with freeCodeCamp's team of teachers. Thanks for joining me on this journey.

You can write text, write code, run that code, and see the output – all in line in the same notebook.

Benefits of Google Colab

Sharing notebooks is as easy as sharing any Google document. You can also get the app and run the code from your phone.

You can use the powerful and popular Python language in your Google Drive, and the set-up will take less than five minutes.

Because Python runs on a server (and not in your local browser or on your local computer) you can easily use it to interact with an online database and analyze data in situations where you need to keep the code private.

How to Add Colab to Your Google Drive

1. On your computer, in your Google Drive, click the “+ new” button.

2. Click “more”, then click “connect more apps” at the bottom of that new menu.

3. In the Google Workspace Marketplace, type “colab” into the search box.

4. Click to add Google Colaboratory.

5. Now you have Colab in your list of available apps.

How to Use Google Colab

Now when you click the “+new” button and click “more” (at the bottom of that first list) you will see “Google Colaboratory” on the next list.

Click that to open a new Colab notebook. Give your notebook a name, like you would with any Google document or spreadsheet. This notebook is in dark mode:

Type a simple command as a test. To run the code in any cell, you can click the run button on the left side of the code cell (looks like a “play” button with a triangle in a circle) or you can click [shift] + [enter]. The output will appear right below the code cell.

You can import many popular libraries without having to install them first.

If you import a library or define a function in one cell, that will still be available in other cells for at least a few minutes. The runtime will disconnect if you go 30 minutes without running a cell or if you have the notebook open for 12 hours.

Explore Colab

If you were following along and you now have Google Colaboratory installed, you are ready to build your own projects.

If you click on the “< >” symbol on the bottom-left side of the notebook, you will find code snippets that you can use. Google also has many resources for you, some of which are at https://colab.research.google.com/ (just close out of the pop-up window that appears).

At freeCodeCamp, we are building a curriculum to show you how to use Python to solve math problems. You now have the tools at your fingertips. Happy coding!