In this section, we will guide you through the process of setting up TensorFlow on your machine. This includes installing the necessary software and verifying the installation. By the end of this section, you will have a working TensorFlow environment ready for development.

Before installing TensorFlow, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
• Python Version: Python 3.6–3.9
• Pip: Python package installer

If you don't have Python installed, follow these steps:

1. Download the latest version of Python from the official website.
2. Run the installer and ensure you check the box that says "Add Python to PATH".
3. Verify the installation by opening Command Prompt and typing:

   python --version
   pip --version
   

1. Open Terminal.
2. Install Homebrew if you haven't already:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   

3. Install Python:

   brew install python
   

4. Verify the installation:

   python3 --version
   pip3 --version
   

1. Open Terminal.
2. Update your package list and install Python:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install python3 python3-pip
   

3. Verify the installation:

   python3 --version
   pip3 --version
   

It's a good practice to create a virtual environment for your TensorFlow projects to manage dependencies and avoid conflicts.

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.

2. Navigate to your project directory:

   cd path/to/your/project
   

3. Create a virtual environment:

   python -m venv tensorflow_env
   

4. Activate the virtual environment:

   • Windows:

     tensorflow_env\Scripts\activate
     

   • macOS/Linux:

     source tensorflow_env/bin/activate
     

5. Your command prompt should now show the virtual environment name, indicating it is active.

With the virtual environment activated, install TensorFlow using pip:

This command will install the latest stable version of TensorFlow.

To verify that TensorFlow is installed correctly, run the following Python script:

Save this script as verify_tensorflow.py and run it:

If TensorFlow is installed correctly, you should see the version number printed.

• Solution: Ensure your virtual environment is activated and TensorFlow is installed within it. Re-run the installation command:

  pip install tensorflow
  

• Solution: Ensure you are using a compatible Python version (3.6–3.9). You can check your Python version with:

  python --version
  

• Solution: This is common on Windows. Ensure you have the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, and 2019 installed. You can download it from the Microsoft website.

You have now set up TensorFlow on your machine and verified the installation. With TensorFlow ready, you can proceed to the next section where we will cover basic TensorFlow concepts. This foundational setup will enable you to follow along with the practical examples and exercises in the upcoming modules.