First things first: you will be required to purchase for
yourself a specific type of small computer (see below).
This *WILL NOT* be stocked by the bookstore, and
you must have it in hand by Tuesday, April 2.
In the first lecture, I will walk you through installation
of the operating system.  You will then immediately begin
using your computer to follow along in class and to do
your homework.

There will also be three textbooks, two required and
one optional.  One of the required textbooks is free,
and is available on the course web page.

As a student, you are eligible for a heavily discounted
subscription to Amazon Prime, including a no-cost trial
period, which will give you free two-day shipping.  In many
cases, you can get free one-day shipping if you are willing
to pick up your package at the Amazon storefront in IV.
See here for more details:

Amazon Prime Student

For the first day of class you will need a Raspberry Pi 5
and some accessories (see below).  If you already have
a Raspberry Pi 4 or 400, that will work also, but the
Raspberry Pi 5 is about three times faster.  Any model
with 2 GB or more of memory will work.  The RPi 3 and
earlier versions will not work.  More memory is better
if you think you will want to do data-intensive work
on your RPi in the future and can afford it.  You will
also need:

1. A power supply.  This must be matched to the RPi model
   you buy.  The RPi 5 uses a 27 W supply.  Earlier RPi
   power supplies are not compatible, even if they have
   USB-C connectors.

2. For the RPi 5 or RPi 4, a case.  The RPi 400 is built
   into its own keyboard.

3. A micro SD card with at least 64 GB capacity.  I will
   exchange this with you on the first day of class for
   one with the most recent operating system preinstalled.
   The card must be from one of the following brands:
   Kingston, Samsung, Sandisk, or Sony.

4. A micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.

It appears that the best (least expensive) way to get these
things at the moment is to order 4 parts from Digikey and
the SD card from Amazon:

0. Raspberry Pi 5 board, 4 GB RAM
   or
   Raspberry Pi 5 board, 8 GB RAM

1. Raspberry Pi 5 power supply

2. Raspberry Pi 5 case

2. Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable

4. SanDisk 64 GB Extreme PRO microSD Card

Usually the best choice for shipping from Digikey is USPS
Priority Mail.  If you choose to go with an alternate
supplier or different parts, be sure they are in stock
and ready to ship before placing your order.  In the past
I have seen Digikey sell out thousands of RPi boards in
a week, so I strongly suggest ordering your board and
accessories right away.

If you want to use the computer before classes start,
buy a separate micro SD card (preferably at least 32 GB)
and save the 64 GB one to exchange in class.  We will be
running through installation on the first day.

To load the operating system on a micro SD card, go here
and follow the instructions to install the latest version
of Raspberry Pi OS.

Do not try to use the Raspberry Pi with a cheap off-brand
SD card.  The RPi is very hard on the card, and we
typically have several failures per quarter, even with
high-quality cards.

To use the Raspberry Pi at home, you will need to have
a USB keyboard and mouse, and a monitor or TV with an
HDMI input (or a DVI input and an inexpensive adapter).
Here is an option for the keyboard and mouse:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017M4J1BU/

Inexpensive monitors can be found on eBay, Craigslist,
and sometimes at UCSB Surplus Sales.  Make sure to get
one with 1080p (1920x1080) or 4k native resolution.  A TV
with HDMI is a good option since it will also have sound.

It is possible to connect the Raspberry Pi to a laptop
using a wireless network or ethernet cable, but this can
be challenging, and you will need to figure it out on your
own if you decide to do this.

The textbooks for Physics 129, also not at the
campus bookstore, are as follows:

Required:

1. The Linux Command Line, Fifth Internet Edition
   By William E. Shotts, Jr.

   Free electronic version

2. A Student's Guide to Python for Physical Modeling, second edition
   ISBN 978-0691223650 (0691223653)
   By Jesse M. Kinder and Philip Nelson
   Princeton University Press
   http://www.amazon.com/dp/0691223653/

   Note: do not buy an older edition!

Optional:
   
1. Introduction to Computation and Programming Using Python:
      With Application to Understanding Data, third edition
   ISBN 978-0262542364 (0262542366)
   By John V. Guttag
   MIT Press
   http://www.amazon.com/dp/0262542366

Our coverage in Physics 129 of programming
fundamentals will necessarily be somewhat superficial
because of limited time.  This optional textbook is meant
to fill in the gaps if you are interested in becoming more
skilled and better trained than the average physics student
(or professor, for that matter).

Finally, this additional book is beyond the scope of
the course, but would be a next logical step if you are
interested in machine learning:

   Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow
      Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems, 3rd edition 
   ISBN 978-1098125974 (1098125975)
   By Aurelien Geron
   O'Reilly Media
   http://www.amazon.com/dp/1098125975