ufunc

A ufunc, short for universal function, is a NumPy function that operates element-wise on ndarray objects. This means that if you apply a ufunc to an array, it will perform the specified operation on each individual element of that array, returning a new array with the results. Ufuncs are vectorized, which allows them to perform operations on entire arrays much faster than traditional Python loops. This efficiency is a key reason for NumPy's popularity in scientific computing and data analysis.

Common examples of ufuncs include mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan), exponential functions (exp, log), and comparison operators (greater than, less than, equal to). NumPy provides a rich set of built-in ufuncs, and users can also create their own custom ufuncs.

The core idea behind ufuncs is to abstract away the iteration process. Instead of writing code that explicitly loops through array elements, you simply call the ufunc with the array as an argument. NumPy then handles the efficient, low-level execution of the operation on each element. This makes NumPy code more readable, concise, and significantly faster. Ufuncs are fundamental to how NumPy leverages optimized C code for array manipulation and computation.