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Product Description
Book Description
Computers are used in every part of science from ecology to particle physics. This introduction to computer science continually reinforces those ties by using real-world science problems as examples. Anyone who has taken a high school science class will be able to follow along as the book introduces the basics of programming, then goes on to show readers how to work with databases, download data from the web automatically, build graphical interfaces, and most importantly, how to think like a professional programmer.
Topics covered include:
Basic elements of programming from arithmetic to loops and if statements.
Using functions and modules to organize programs.
Using lists, sets, and dictionaries to organize data.
Designing algorithms systematically.
Debugging things when they go wrong.
Creating and querying databases.
Building graphical interfaces to make programs easier to use.
Object-oriented programming and programming patterns.
About the Author
Jennifer Campbell is a senior lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Toronto who created the course this book is based on.
Paul Gries, is a senior lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He has won numerous teaching awards and authored other introductory computer science texts.
Jason Montojo, is a former student of Jennifer Campbell and Paul Gries, who has since worked on the Eclipse programming platform at IBM; he is also a professional photographer and digital artist, and created all of the diagrams for this book.
Greg Wilson holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh, and has worked on high-performance scientific computing, data visualization, and computer security. He is the author of Data Crunching and Practical Parallel Programming (MIT Press, 1995), and is a contributing editor at Doctor Dobb's Journal, and an adjunct professor in Computer Science at the University of Toronto.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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4.4 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for My Return to Programming, Dec 15 2009
By EW - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (Paperback)
I had not programmed for 30 years and wanted to do a bit for a small project. After trying several Python books I found this one. I suspect that no one programming book will appeal to all, but this one was a great book to get me started again. Well-written. Good examples. Clear explanations.
34 of 41 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Superior Introduction to Computer Science & Data Structures Using Python, May 14 2009
By Ira Laefsky "Ira Laefsky" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (Paperback)
As a result of superior pedagogy and a language that includes built in features like lists and dictionaries, and a standard library that comes with everything; this instructional book provides an introduction to Computer Science and Data Structures which excels using the modern programming language Python. This text is much more than a learn to program in "XXX" book, it gives a firm foundation for all subsequent courses in Computer Science and practical examples of how Data Structures are employed in real world problems involving graphics and databases. It also gives the necessary demonstrations of algorithms for Searching and Sorting, and a modern introduction to Object-Oriented programming.In short, this volume provides an excellent foundation text in Computer Science, while incorporating instruction in the Python Language and giving practical examples of how to employ the Algorithms and Data Structures in real-world situations. It will give the student a strong basis for all further study in Computer Science and Programming.
23 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is the perfect foundation on which to build your Python programming skills, Feb 8 2010
By Sara "Sarie" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python (Paperback)
I entered a graduate program in computational linguistics with a linguistics background with no computer science or programming experience. All of my specialization courses use Python and, unfortunately, my university doesn't offer Python courses. Discovering that I wasn't all that wonderful at self-teaching myself to program, I resolved to take an introductory Java programming course offered by my university's computer science department. The course served as an excellent foundation and made this text, which I think is already very clear and accessible, that much easier to follow. My opinion is that this book would make an excellent text for an introductory course in Python programming or a wonderful resource to someone who knows a bit about programming but would like to understand Python. I had tried other Python books in the past, but found myself either lost or bored. The authors of this book know how to hold their audience's attention.
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