title: Python pylab, assigning text file into array with funny format
body: <p>I have some troubles trying to get the formatting right in order to plot this graph. this is what I have so far</p>
  
  <pre><code>from pylab import*
  
  with open("spineprox.txt") as f:
      data = f.read()
  
  data = data.split('\n')
  
  x = [column.split(' ')[0] for column in data]
  y = [column.split(' ')[0] for column in data]
  
  plt.title("Plot title...")    
  plt.xlabel('your x label..')
  plt.ylabel('your y label...')
  
  plt.plot(x,y, c='r', label='the data')
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>It then comes up with this error: <code>ValueError: invalid literal for float(): 56.25   0.000000578</code>. I have no idea what this error means. Need help plz!</p>
  
  <p>The formatting for the text file is like follows:</p>
  
  <pre><code>56.25   0.000000578 
  56.2501 0.000003219 
  56.2502 0.000007031 
  56.2503 0.000001969 
  56.2504 0.000005641 
  56.2505 0.000006891 
  56.2506 0.000008656 
  56.2507 0.000005109 
  56.2508 0.000007937 
  56.2509 0.000006266 
  56.251  0.000009547 
  56.2511 0.000011828 
  56.2512 0.000007297 
  56.2513 0.000008641 
  56.2514 0.000008969 
  56.2515 0.000008234 
  56.2516 0.000007984 
  56.2517 0.000010266 
  56.2518 0.000004594 
  56.2519 0.000008469 
  56.252  0.000006297
  </code></pre>