Chapter 19. Multidimensional Iterators in NumPy
Travis E. Oliphant
Numpy is an optional package for the python language that provides a powerful N-dimensional array object. An N-dimensional array is a data structure that uses N integers, or indices, to access individual elements. It is a useful model for a wide variety of data processed by a computer.
For example, a one-dimensional array can store the samples of a sound wave, a two-dimensional array can store a grayscale image, a three-dimensional array can store a color image (with one of the dimensions having a length of 3 or 4), and a four-dimensional array can store the value of pressure in a room during a concert. Even higher-dimensional arrays are often useful.
NumPy provides an environment for the mathematical and structural manipulation of arrays of arbitrary dimensions. These manipulations are at the heart of much scientific, engineering, and multimedia code that routinely deals with large amounts of data. Being able to perform these mathematical and structural manipulations in a high-level language can considerably simplify the development and later reuse of these algorithms.
NumPy provides an assortment of mathematical calculations that can be done on arrays, as well as providing very simple syntax for structural operations. As a result, Python (with NumPy) can be successfully used for the development of significant and fast-performing engineering and scientific code.
One feature that allows fast structural manipulation ...
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