Live coding some stats functions

Visit ctb.github.io/2026-bcp-101-stats and let’s work through defining and running some Python functions.

(You can just watch, or you can follow along ;))

Finding lessons online

I found this paper, “Using Jupyter Notebooks to foster computational skills and professional practice in an introductory physics lab course”, which led me to this code repository, which contains some interesting notebooks:

• simulation of projectile motion
• random numbers and histograms
• plotting Co2 data
• Measuring the illuminance of a light bulb as a function of distance source-detector
• Introducing the moving average

I’ve copied many of these over to the physics/ directory in ctb.github.io/2026-bcp-101-stats; let’s try running them!

Other Teaching strategies

A good workshop - Carpentries Instructor Training.

• Pre-filled notebook (maybe with faded examples)
  • note: can make read-only, forcing a copy
• HackMD + copy/paste
  • live update;
  • an independent and easily accessible record of lesson;

Alternatives to JupyterLite: discuss & demo

• Google Colab
  • more power than locally run jupyterlite;
  • can install a wide range of software;
  • unreliable over long term;
• mybinder
  • unreliable over long term;
  • supports RStudio;
• local install of JupyterLab; JupyterHub
  • difficult for some to install;
  • does not work on Chromebooks;
  • considerably more powreful than jupyerlite;
  • can install a wide range of software;

How can we support you?

Some of the things we hope to work with you on:

• designing and setting up your own lessons;
• trying things out with us as a “foil”;
• digesting custom data sets and helping figure out how to deploy them in a JupyterLite environment;
• helping you figure out what packages to use and how to install them;
• helping with technical problems and debugging;