DATA6

Data 6 takes advantage of the complementarity of computing and quantitative reasoning to enliven abstract ideas and build students’ confidence in their ability to solve real problems with quantitative tools. Students learn computer science concepts and immediately apply them to plot functions, visualize data, and simulate random events.

Foundations of Data Science (CS/Info/Stat C8, a.k.a. Data 8) is an increasingly popular class for entering students at Berkeley. Data 8 builds students’ computing skills in the first month of the semester, and students rely on these skills as the course progresses. For some students, particularly those with little prior exposure to computing, developing these skills benefits from further time and practice. Data 6 is a rapid introduction to Python programming, visualization, and data analysis, which will prepare students for success in Data 8. Data 6 also includes quantitative reasoning concepts that aren’t covered in Data 8. These include certain topics in: principles of data visualization; simulation of random processes; and understanding numerical functions through their graphs. This will help prepare students for computational and quantitative courses other than Data 8.