Python for Machine Learning – A Step-by-Step Guide

What Is Machine Learning? Machine Learning (ML) is a field of artificial intelligence where computers learn patterns from data instead of being explicitly programmed with rules. In traditional programming, you feed in rules + data and get answers. In ML, you feed in data + answers (labels) and the algorithm learns the rules. Once trained, the model can make predictions on unseen data—like forecasting house prices, classifying emails as spam, or recommending products. ML spans multiple learning paradigms: Supervised learning: Learn from labeled examples (price, category, yes/no outcome). Unsupervised learning: Discover structure in unlabeled data (clustering, dimensionality reduction). Reinforcement learning: Learn by interacting with an environment and receiving rewards. In this guide we focus on supervised learning with Python , the most common entry point for beginners. Why Python Is the #1 Language for ML Python dominates ML for four big reasons: Rich ecosystem: Libraries ...