Installing Python, SymPy and IPython to Learn Applied Mathematics on Mac OS X.

Posted on January 27, 2009 by doc

For those of you Mac users who want to install Python, Sympy, and IPython to do computer algebra and applied math problems, I offer the following links.  You should install these in the given order.

  1. Install Python 2.5.4 for MacOS X found  here.
  2. Install Sympy, found here.
    On Mac OS X, extract it with the command

    tar xzf sympy-0.4.0.tar.gz

    and follow the README located in the sympy directory.

  3. Install PyReadLine, found here.
  4. Install IPython, found here. Note the following important safety tip, found at IPython on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard at Brian Berliner’s Brain :
I have found the IPython command-shell particularly useful. It’s very well done, and has excellent documentation. Problem is, it doesn’t work so well on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Your screen gets scrogged because of a Readline conflict (see the video). Here’s my cookbook for getting it to work – it’s way easier than all the other documents on the Internet lead you to believe.

1. Installing IPython on Mac OS X is actually quite easy with the following command:

sudo easy_install ipython


2. Execute the command to load the right Readline library:

sudo easy_install -f http://ipython.scipy.org/dist/ readline

Well, that does it.  Please let me know how it went!

Doc


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