|
|
According to wordnetweb.princeton.edu, Computer Science is "the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures". It's the study of computer architectures, languages, and mathematical structures as applied to the process of computing. So what have Campbell, et al produced in this book...a Computer Science textbook that teaches Python? Kind of. Imagine you wanted to learn how the computer is used in the various scientific disciples. Further, you wanted to learn how computer programs and programming is used in this context to construct tools, perform investigations, and to solve problems. You also want to use a single programming language as your example. Welcome to "Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python". Not a book about learning Python as such, but an introduction to the discipline of Computer Science with Python as your guide.
|
|
Yes, it is a text book. Page 5 in the Introduction has a For Instructors section which should be a clue. Code samples and installation instructions for the class are available for download at the book's website. New as this book is, there's already entries in the Errata section, and as with other Pragmatic books, there's a discussion forum available for questions and comments, which will come in handy for teacher and student alike.
This really is a book that starts at the beginning, even to the point of describing a prompt in a python shell on page 9. Sections in Chapter 2 include Expressions and What is a Type, so the reader isn't presumed to know Python or programming at all. Like any other textbook of worth, there are exercises at the end of each chapter. Also like many textbooks, the information is presented in a rather "dry" manner, so don't expect to be entertained. Please keep in mind that this is a textbook and the target audience is a beginning Computer Science class. Class instructors are the most likely subset of the audience to be commenting about the book at this point, since they are using the book to educate their students in the fundamentals of Computer Science (which leaves me out since I'm not an instructor, but I'll do the review anyway). Full Story |
