[SciPy-user] Vectorize vs Map

[Robert Kern]

Lorenzo Isella wrote:
> Dear All,
> Probably another newbie question: I like quite a lot the vectorize()
> command which allows me to skip iterations on functions, but the map()
> command on a list performs a similar task if I am not mistaken.
> Is there any reason to favour one above the other or is it just a
> matter of taste?

vectorize() takes a Python function and turns it into a ufunc. ufuncs do a lot
more than map() does. They can take multidimensional arrays. n-ary ufuncs can
take multiple inputs and broadcast them against each other. ufuncs have methods
like .inner() and .reduce() which are quite powerful.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
 that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
 an underlying truth."
  -- Umberto Eco