lab1.md

Getting Started with Kaggle and Google Colab

This guide walks you through setting up your Kaggle account, accessing Google Colab, and running your first test lab.

1. Create a Kaggle Account

1. Go to https://www.kaggle.com
2. Click “Sign Up” in the top-right corner.
3. Choose one of the following sign-up options:
   • Sign up with Google (recommended)
   • Sign up with Email
4. Verify your email address if prompted.
5. Once logged in:
   • Go to your Profile → fill in your name and details.
   • (Optional) Enable 2-step verification for security.
6. You can now explore datasets:
   • Navigate to https://www.kaggle.com/datasets
   • Click on any dataset and use the Download or Copy API command options.

2. Set Up Google Colab

1. Visit https://colab.research.google.com
2. Log in using your Google account.
3. You’ll see a welcome screen — click:
   • “New Notebook” to start a new Python notebook.
4. Rename your notebook:
   • Click on the notebook title (Untitled.ipynb) → give it a name, e.g., MyFirstColab.ipynb.

3. Test Lab: Using Google Colab

Try the following steps to understand the basics:

Step 1: Run a Python Cell

Type this in a code cell:

print("Hello, Google Colab!")

Then press Shift + Enter or click the ▶️ Run button.

You should see:

Hello, Google Colab!

Step 2: Check Python Version

!python --version

Step 3: Install a Package

Example: Install numpy and test it.

!pip install numpy
import numpy as np
arr = np.array([1, 2, 3])
print("Numpy array:", arr)

Step 4: Mount Google Drive (Optional)

To access your Google Drive files:

from google.colab import drive
drive.mount('/content/drive')

Follow the link shown → authorize → copy & paste the code back into Colab.

Step 5: Simple Data Visualization

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [n**2 for n in x]

plt.plot(x, y, marker='o')
plt.title("Simple Plot in Colab")
plt.xlabel("X")
plt.ylabel("Y^2")
plt.show()

4. Save and Share Your Notebook

• To save your work: → Go to File → Save a copy in Drive

• To share your notebook: → Click Share (top-right) → choose visibility (e.g., “Anyone with the link”)

5. Next Steps

• Explore Google Colab tutorials: https://colab.research.google.com/notebooks/intro.ipynb
• Join Kaggle competitions to practice: https://www.kaggle.com/competitions
• Learn about Colab GPUs: → Runtime → Change runtime type → GPU