Anyone Can Code: The Art and Science of Logical Creativity introduces computer programming as a way of problem-solving through logical thinking. It uses the notion of modularization as a central lens through which we can make sense of many software concepts. This book takes the reader through fundamental concepts in programming by illustrating them in three different and distinct languages: C/C++, Python, and Javascript. Key features: Focuses on problem-solving and algorithmic thinking instead of programming functions, syntax, and libraries; Includes engaging examples, including video games and visual effects; Provides exercises and reflective questions. This book gives beginner and intermediate learners a strong understanding of what they are doing so that they can do it better and with any other tool or language that they may end up using later.
A hands-on, problem-based introduction to building algorithms and data structures to solve problems with a computer. Algorithmic Thinking will teach you how to solve challenging programming problems and design your own algorithms. Daniel Zingaro, a master teacher, draws his examples from world-class programming competitions like USACO and IOI. You'll learn how to classify problems, choose data structures, and identify appropriate algorithms. You'll also learn how your choice of data structure, whether a hash table, heap, or tree, can affect runtime and speed up your algorithms; and how to adopt powerful strategies like recursion, dynamic programming, and binary search to solve challenging problems. Line-by-line breakdowns of the code will teach you how to use algorithms and data structures like: The breadth-first search algorithm to find the optimal way to play a board game or find the best way to translate a book Dijkstra's algorithm to determine how many mice can exit a maze or the number of fastest routes between two locations The union-find data structure to answer questions about connections in a social network or determine who are friends or enemies The heap data structure to determine the amount of money given away in a promotion The hash-table data structure to determine whether snowflakes are unique or identify compound words in a dictionary NOTE: Each problem in this book is available on a programming-judge website. You'll find the site's URL and problem ID in the description. What's better than a free correctness check?
As the second book in the Anyone Can Code series, Algorithmic Thinking focuses on the logic behind computer programming and software design. With a data-centred approach, it starts with simple algorithms that work on simple data items and advances to more complex ones covering data structures and classes. Examples are given in C/C++ and Python and use both plain text and graphics applications to illustrate the concepts in different languages and forms. With the advances in artificial intelligence and automated code generators, it is essential to learn about the logic of what a code needs to do, not just how to write the code. Anyone Can Code: Algorithmic Thinking is suitable for anyone who aims to improve their programming skills and go beyond the simple craft of programming, stepping into the world of algorithm design.
Learn to Code by Solving Problems is a practical introduction to programming using Python. It uses coding-competition challenges to teach you the mechanics of coding and how to think like a savvy programmer. Computers are capable of solving almost any problem when given the right instructions. That’s where programming comes in. This beginner’s book will have you writing Python programs right away. You’ll solve interesting problems drawn from real coding competitions and build your programming skills as you go. Every chapter presents problems from coding challenge websites, where online judges test your solutions and provide targeted feedback. As you practice using core Python features, functions, and techniques, you’ll develop a clear understanding of data structures, algorithms, and other programming basics. Bonus exercises invite you to explore new concepts on your own, and multiple-choice questions encourage you to think about how each piece of code works. You’ll learn how to: Run Python code, work with strings, and use variables Write programs that make decisions Make code more efficient with while and for loops Use Python sets, lists, and dictionaries to organize, sort, and search data Design programs using functions and top-down design Create complete-search algorithms and use Big O notation to design more efficient code By the end of the book, you’ll not only be proficient in Python, but you’ll also understand how to think through problems and tackle them with code. Programming languages come and go, but this book gives you the lasting foundation you need to start thinking like a programmer.
Unlock the power of Python with this comprehensive guide, “Python and Algorithmic Thinking for the Complete Beginner.” It covers everything from computer basics to advanced decision and loop control structures. Key Features Comprehensive coverage from basic computer operations to advanced programming concepts Step-by-step progression of each topic, along with tips and tricks to enhance coding efficiency In-depth exploration of Python and algorithmic thinking with exercises and practical examples Book DescriptionThis course is meticulously designed to take beginners on a journey through the fascinating world of Python programming and algorithmic thinking. The initial chapters lay a strong foundation, starting with the basics of how computers operate, moving into Python programming, and familiarizing learners with integrated development environments like IDLE and Visual Studio Code. Further, the course delves into essential programming constructs such as variables, constants, input/output handling, and operators. You'll gain practical experience with trace tables, sequence control structures, and decision control structures through comprehensive exercises and examples. The curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning with chapters dedicated to manipulating numbers, strings, and understanding complex mathematical expressions. By mastering these concepts, you'll be well-prepared to tackle more advanced topics. The final chapters introduce you to object-oriented programming and file manipulation, rounding out your skill set. Throughout the course, practical tips and tricks are provided to enhance your coding efficiency and problem-solving skills. By the end of this course, you will have a robust understanding of Python programming and the ability to apply algorithmic thinking to solve real-world problems.What you will learn Understand how computers work and the basics of Python programming Install and use integrated development environments (IDEs) Develop skills in decision and loop control structures Manipulate data using lists, dictionaries, and strings Apply algorithmic thinking to solve complex problems Gain proficiency in object-oriented programming & file manipulation Who this book is for This course is ideal for absolute beginners with no prior programming experience. Basic computer literacy is required, but no specific knowledge of programming or algorithms is necessary. It is also suitable for individuals looking to refresh their Python skills and enhance their understanding of algorithmic thinking. High school and college students interested in programming, professionals seeking to upskill, and hobbyists eager to learn a new programming language will all find value in this course.
What will you learn from this book? Itâ??s no secret the world around you is becoming more connected, more configurable, more programmable, more computational. You can remain a passive participant, or you can learn to code. With Head First Learn to Code youâ??ll learn how to think computationally and how to write code to make your computer, mobile device, or anything with a CPU do things for you. Using the Python programming language, youâ??ll learn step by step the core concepts of programming as well as many fundamental topics from computer science, such as data structures, storage, abstraction, recursion, and modularity. Why does this book look so different? Based on the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory, Head First Learn to Code uses a visually rich format to engage your mind, rather than a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. Why waste your time struggling with new concepts? This multi-sensory learning experience is designed for the way your brain really works.
Thoroughly revised for the latest version of C#, this book explains basic concepts in a clear and explicit way that takes very seriously one thing for granted-that the reader knows nothing about computer programming. Addressed to anyone who has no prior programming knowledge or experience, but a desire to learn programming with C#, it teaches the first thing that every novice programmer needs to learn, which is Algorithmic Thinking. Algorithmic Thinking involves more than just learning code. It is a problem-solving process that involves learning how to code. This edition contains all the popular features of the previous edition and adds a significant number of exercises, as well as extensive revisions and updates. Apart from C# 's arrays, it now also covers dictionaries, while a brand new section provides an effective introduction to the next field that a programmer needs to work with, which is Object Oriented Programming (OOP). This book has a class course structure with questions and exercises at the end of each chapter so you can test what you have learned right away and improve your comprehension. With 250 solved and 450 unsolved exercises, 475 true/false, about 150 multiple choice, and 200 review questions and crosswords (the solutions and the answers to which can be found on the Internet), this book is ideal for novices or average programmers, for self-study high school students first-year college or university students teachers professors anyone who wants to start learning or teaching computer programming using the proper conventions and techniques
The real challenge of programming isn't learning a language's syntax—it's learning to creatively solve problems so you can build something great. In this one-of-a-kind text, author V. Anton Spraul breaks down the ways that programmers solve problems and teaches you what other introductory books often ignore: how to Think Like a Programmer. Each chapter tackles a single programming concept, like classes, pointers, and recursion, and open-ended exercises throughout challenge you to apply your knowledge. You'll also learn how to: –Split problems into discrete components to make them easier to solve –Make the most of code reuse with functions, classes, and libraries –Pick the perfect data structure for a particular job –Master more advanced programming tools like recursion and dynamic memory –Organize your thoughts and develop strategies to tackle particular types of problems Although the book's examples are written in C++, the creative problem-solving concepts they illustrate go beyond any particular language; in fact, they often reach outside the realm of computer science. As the most skillful programmers know, writing great code is a creative art—and the first step in creating your masterpiece is learning to Think Like a Programmer.
Now a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Learn a new talent, stay relevant, reinvent yourself, and adapt to whatever the workplace throws your way. Ultralearning offers nine principles to master hard skills quickly. This is the essential guide to future-proof your career and maximize your competitive advantage through self-education. In these tumultuous times of economic and technological change, staying ahead depends on continual self-education—a lifelong mastery of fresh ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner. The challenge of learning new skills is that you think you already know how best to learn, as you did as a student, so you rerun old routines and old ways of solving problems. To counter that, Ultralearning offers powerful strategies to break you out of those mental ruts and introduces new training methods to help you push through to higher levels of retention. Scott H. Young incorporates the latest research about the most effective learning methods and the stories of other ultralearners like himself—among them Benjamin Franklin, chess grandmaster Judit Polgár, and Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman, as well as a host of others, such as little-known modern polymath Nigel Richards, who won the French World Scrabble Championship—without knowing French. Young documents the methods he and others have used to acquire knowledge and shows that, far from being an obscure skill limited to aggressive autodidacts, ultralearning is a powerful tool anyone can use to improve their career, studies, and life. Ultralearning explores this fascinating subculture, shares a proven framework for a successful ultralearning project, and offers insights into how you can organize and exe - cute a plan to learn anything deeply and quickly, without teachers or budget-busting tuition costs. Whether the goal is to be fluent in a language (or ten languages), earn the equivalent of a college degree in a fraction of the time, or master multiple tools to build a product or business from the ground up, the principles in Ultralearning will guide you to success.
"Ali Arya guides you in a fantastic journey full of creativity in a coherent way that allows the traveler to learn and build up over the knowledge acquired in previous chapters until the reader accomplishes skills to develop solutions using programming." — Andrés A. Navarro Newball, Professor, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia "An excellent book that teaches programming and software development the way it should be done: independent from a specific implementation language and focusing on the main principles that are fundamental and substantive to any kind of software production." — Marc Conrad, Principal Lecturer, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK Anyone Can Code: The Art and Science of Logical Creativity introduces computer programming as a way of problem-solving through logical thinking. It uses the notion of modularization as a central lens through which we can make sense of many software concepts. This book takes the reader through fundamental concepts in programming by illustrating them in three different and distinct languages: C/C++, Python, and Javascript. Key features: Focuses on problem-solving and algorithmic thinking instead of programming functions, syntax, and libraries Includes engaging examples, including video games and visual effects Provides exercises and reflective questions This book gives beginner and intermediate learners a strong understanding of what they are doing so that they can do it better and with any other tool or language that they may end up using later. Author Ali Arya is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Technology at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. He received his PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, in 2003. He has over 25 years of experience in professional and academic positions related to software development and information technology. He is passionate about computer programming that brings together logical and creative abilities.