Should I have my MBP "take breaks" while working hard, or are its fans sufficient? I want to transform some data by doing (from Terminal) a Python command that runs on a single core only and doing something I expect to be CPU bound once data is pulled from disk and is accessible at memory speed, not SSD speed. I'll be a bit surprised if the calculation isn't enough to get the fans engaged and keep them engaged until the end is reached.

Are there corrective ways to guard computer integrity while it's doing calculations? Is it recommended practice, for instance, to do n seconds of work, and then sleep m seconds, and repeat the cycle.

Any "big picture" comments about intensive calculations and how to keep a computer safe would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Your processor automatically throttles itself when it gets too hot, OS X automatically sets the fan speeds appropriate, and in the off-chance your computer gets too hot, it will automatically shut off.

You don't need to worry about a modern computer getting "over-worked".