Under One Condition: An Introduction to Computer Science Principles and Programming in Python is designed for curious middle school and building high school students. This book covers topics including design and development, computing errors, abstraction, mutability, computer networks, safe computing, and the many aspects of data.

This book is suitable for use in a university-level first course in computing (CS1), as well as the increasingly popular course known as CS0. It is difficult for many students to master basic concepts in computer science and programming. A large portion of the confusion can be blamed on the complexity of the tools and materials that are traditionally used to teach CS1 and CS2. This textbook was written with a single overarching goal: to present the core concepts of computer science as simply as possible without being simplistic.

The new edition of an introductory text that teaches students the art of computational problem solving, covering topics ranging from simple algorithms to information visualization. This book introduces students with little or no prior programming experience to the art of computational problem solving using Python and various Python libraries, including PyLab. It provides students with skills that will enable them to make productive use of computational techniques, including some of the tools and techniques of data science for using computation to model and interpret data. The book is based on an MIT course (which became the most popular course offered through MIT's OpenCourseWare) and was developed for use not only in a conventional classroom but in in a massive open online course (MOOC). This new edition has been updated for Python 3, reorganized to make it easier to use for courses that cover only a subset of the material, and offers additional material including five new chapters. Students are introduced to Python and the basics of programming in the context of such computational concepts and techniques as exhaustive enumeration, bisection search, and efficient approximation algorithms. Although it covers such traditional topics as computational complexity and simple algorithms, the book focuses on a wide range of topics not found in most introductory texts, including information visualization, simulations to model randomness, computational techniques to understand data, and statistical techniques that inform (and misinform) as well as two related but relatively advanced topics: optimization problems and dynamic programming. This edition offers expanded material on statistics and machine learning and new chapters on Frequentist and Bayesian statistics.

"Havill's problem-driven approach introduces algorithmic concepts in context and motivates students with a wide range of interests and backgrounds." -- Janet Davis, Associate Professor and Microsoft Chair of Computer Science, Whitman College "This book looks really great and takes exactly the approach I think should be used for a CS 1 course. I think it really fills a need in the textbook landscape." -- Marie desJardins, Dean of the College of Organizational, Computational, and Information Sciences, Simmons University "Discovering Computer Science is a refreshing departure from introductory programming texts, offering students a much more sincere introduction to the breadth and complexity of this ever-growing field." -- James Deverick, Senior Lecturer, The College of William and Mary "This unique introduction to the science of computing guides students through broad and universal approaches to problem solving in a variety of contexts and their ultimate implementation as computer programs." -- Daniel Kaplan, DeWitt Wallace Professor, Macalester College Discovering Computer Science: Interdisciplinary Problems, Principles, and Python Programming is a problem-oriented introduction to computational problem solving and programming in Python, appropriate for a first course for computer science majors, a more targeted disciplinary computing course or, at a slower pace, any introductory computer science course for a general audience. Realizing that an organization around language features only resonates with a narrow audience, this textbook instead connects programming to students’ prior interests using a range of authentic problems from the natural and social sciences and the digital humanities. The presentation begins with an introduction to the problem-solving process, contextualizing programming as an essential component. Then, as the book progresses, each chapter guides students through solutions to increasingly complex problems, using a spiral approach to introduce Python language features. The text also places programming in the context of fundamental computer science principles, such as abstraction, efficiency, testing, and algorithmic techniques, offering glimpses of topics that are traditionally put off until later courses. This book contains 30 well-developed independent projects that encourage students to explore questions across disciplinary boundaries, over 750 homework exercises, and 300 integrated reflection questions engage students in problem solving and active reading. The accompanying website — https://www.discoveringcs.net — includes more advanced content, solutions to selected exercises, sample code and data files, and pointers for further exploration.

If you want to learn how to program, working with Python is an excellent way to start. This hands-on guide takes you through the language a step at a time, beginning with basic programming concepts before moving on to functions, recursion, data structures, and object-oriented design. This second edition and its supporting code have been updated for Python 3. Through exercises in each chapter, youâ??ll try out programming concepts as you learn them. Think Python is ideal for students at the high school or college level, as well as self-learners, home-schooled students, and professionals who need to learn programming basics. Beginners just getting their feet wet will learn how to start with Python in a browser. Start with the basics, including language syntax and semantics Get a clear definition of each programming concept Learn about values, variables, statements, functions, and data structures in a logical progression Discover how to work with files and databases Understand objects, methods, and object-oriented programming Use debugging techniques to fix syntax, runtime, and semantic errors Explore interface design, data structures, and GUI-based programs through case studies

A Concise Introduction to Programming in Python, Second Edition provides a hands-on and accessible introduction to writing software in Python, with no prior programming experience required. The Second Edition was thoroughly reorganized and rewritten based on classroom experience to incorporate: A spiral approach, starting with turtle graphics, and then revisiting concepts in greater depth using numeric, textual, and image data Clear, concise explanations written for beginning students, emphasizing core principles A variety of accessible examples, focusing on key concepts Diagrams to help visualize new concepts New sections on recursion and exception handling, as well as an earlier introduction of lists, based on instructor feedback The text offers sections designed for approximately one class period each, and proceeds gradually from procedural to object-oriented design. Examples, exercises, and projects are included from diverse application domains, including finance, biology, image processing, and textual analysis. It also includes a brief "How-To" sections that introduce optional topics students may be interested in exploring. The text is written to be read, making it a good fit in flipped classrooms. Designed for either classroom use or self-study, all example programs and solutions to odd-numbered exercises (except for projects) are available at: http://www.central.edu/go/conciseintro/.

The book serves as a first introduction to computer programming of scientific applications, using the high-level Python language. The exposition is example and problem-oriented, where the applications are taken from mathematics, numerical calculus, statistics, physics, biology and finance. The book teaches "Matlab-style" and procedural programming as well as object-oriented programming. High school mathematics is a required background and it is advantageous to study classical and numerical one-variable calculus in parallel with reading this book. Besides learning how to program computers, the reader will also learn how to solve mathematical problems, arising in various branches of science and engineering, with the aid of numerical methods and programming. By blending programming, mathematics and scientific applications, the book lays a solid foundation for practicing computational science. From the reviews: Langtangen ... does an excellent job of introducing programming as a set of skills in problem solving. He guides the reader into thinking properly about producing program logic and data structures for modeling real-world problems using objects and functions and embracing the object-oriented paradigm. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. F. H. Wild III, Choice, Vol. 47 (8), April 2010 Those of us who have learned scientific programming in Python ‘on the streets’ could be a little jealous of students who have the opportunity to take a course out of Langtangen’s Primer.” John D. Cook, The Mathematical Association of America, September 2011 This book goes through Python in particular, and programming in general, via tasks that scientists will likely perform. It contains valuable information for students new to scientific computing and would be the perfect bridge between an introduction to programming and an advanced course on numerical methods or computational science. Alex Small, IEEE, CiSE Vol. 14 (2), March /April 2012 “This fourth edition is a wonderful, inclusive textbook that covers pretty much everything one needs to know to go from zero to fairly sophisticated scientific programming in Python...” Joan Horvath, Computing Reviews, March 2015

Would you like to gather big datasets, analyze them, and visualize the results, all in one program? If this describes you, then Introduction to Python Programming for Business and Social Science Applications is the book for you. Authors Frederick Kaefer and Paul Kaefer walk you through each step of the Python package installation and analysis process, with frequent exercises throughout so you can immediately try out the functions you’ve learned. Written in straightforward language for those with no programming background, this book will teach you how to use Python for your research and data analysis. Instead of teaching you the principles and practices of programming as a whole, this application-oriented text focuses on only what you need to know to research and answer social science questions. The text features two types of examples, one set from the General Social Survey and one set from a large taxi trip dataset from a major metropolitan area, to help readers understand the possibilities of working with Python. Chapters on installing and working within a programming environment, basic skills, and necessary commands will get you up and running quickly, while chapters on programming logic, data input and output, and data frames help you establish the basic framework for conducting analyses. Further chapters on web scraping, statistical analysis, machine learning, and data visualization help you apply your skills to your research. More advanced information on developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) help you create functional data products using Python to inform general users of data who don’t work within Python. First there was IBM® SPSS®, then there was R, and now there′s Python. Statistical software is getting more aggressive - let authors Frederick Kaefer and Paul Kaefer help you tame it with Introduction to Python Programming for Business and Social Science Applications.

Get Programming: Learn to code with Python teaches you the basics of computer programming using the Python language. In this exercise-driven book, you'll be doing something on nearly every page as you work through 38 compact lessons and 7 engaging capstone projects. By exploring the crystal-clear illustrations, exercises that check your understanding as you go, and tips for what to try next, you'll start thinking like a programmer in no time. This book works perfectly alongside our video course Get Programming with Python in Motion, available exclusively at Manning.com: www.manning.com/livevideo/get-programming-with-python-in-motion Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. What's Inside Programming skills you can use in any language Learn to code—no experience required Learn Python, the language for beginners Dozens of exercises and examples help you learn by doing About the Reader No prior programming experience needed. Table of Contents LEARNING HOW TO PROGRAM Lesson 1 - Why should you learn how to program? Lesson 2 - Basic principles of learning a programming language UNIT 1 - VARIABLES, TYPES, EXPRESSIONS, AND STATEMENTS Lesson 3 - Introducing Python: a programming language Lesson 4 - Variables and expressions: giving names and values to things Lesson 5 - Object types and statements of code 46 Lesson 6 - Capstone project: your first Python program-convert hours to minutes UNIT 2 - STRINGS, TUPLES, AND INTERACTING WITH THE USER Lesson 7 - Introducing string objects: sequences of characters Lesson 8 - Advanced string operations Lesson 9 - Simple error messages Lesson 10 - Tuple objects: sequences of any kind of object Lesson 11 - Interacting with the user Lesson 12 - Capstone project: name mashup UNIT 3 - MAKING DECISIONS IN YOUR PROGRAMS Lesson 13 - Introducing decisions in programs Lesson 14 - Making more-complicated decisions Lesson 15 - Capstone project: choose your own adventure UNIT 4 - REPEATING TASKS Lesson 16 - Repeating tasks with loops Lesson 17 - Customizing loops Lesson 18 - Repeating tasks while conditions hold Lesson 19 - Capstone project: Scrabble, Art Edition UNIT 5 - ORGANIZING YOUR CODE INTO REUSABLE BLOCKS Lesson 20 - Building programs to last Lesson 21 - Achieving modularity and abstraction with functions Lesson 22 - Advanced operations with functions Lesson 23 - Capstone project: analyze your friends UNIT 6 - WORKING WITH MUTABLE DATA TYPES Lesson 24 - Mutable and immutable objects Lesson 25 - Working with lists Lesson 26 - Advanced operations with lists Lesson 27 - Dictionaries as maps between objects Lesson 28 - Aliasing and copying lists and dictionaries Lesson 29 - Capstone project: document similarity UNIT 7 - MAKING YOUR OWN OBJECT TYPES BY USING OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING Lesson 30 - Making your own object types Lesson 31 - Creating a class for an object type Lesson 32 - Working with your own object types Lesson 33 - Customizing classes Lesson 34 - Capstone project: card game UNIT 8 - USING LIBRARIES TO ENHANCE YOUR PROGRAMS Lesson 35 - Useful libraries Lesson 36 - Testing and debugging your programs Lesson 37 - A library for graphical user interfaces Lesson 38 - Capstone project: game of tag Appendix A - Answers to lesson exercises Appendix B - Python cheat sheet Appendix C - Interesting Python libraries

The second edition of the best-selling Python for Kids—which brings you (and your parents) into the world of programming—has been completely updated to use the latest version of Python, along with tons of new projects! Python is a powerful programming language that’s easy to learn and fun to use! But books about programming in Python can be dull and that’s no fun for anyone. Python for Kids brings kids (and their parents) into the wonderful world of programming. Jason R. Briggs guides you through the basics, experimenting with unique (and hilarious) example programs featuring ravenous monsters, secret agents, thieving ravens, and more. New terms are defined; code is colored and explained; puzzles stretch the brain and strengthen understanding; and full-color illustrations keep you engaged throughout. By the end of the book, you’ll have programmed two games: a clone of the famous Pong, and “Mr. Stick Man Races for the Exit”—a platform game with jumps and animation. This second edition is revised and updated to reflect Python 3 programming practices. There are new puzzles to inspire you and two new appendices to guide you through Python’s built-in modules and troubleshooting your code. As you strike out on your programming adventure, you’ll learn how to: Use fundamental data structures like lists, tuples, and dictionaries Organize and reuse your code with functions and modules Use control structures like loops and conditional statements Draw shapes and patterns with Python’s turtle module Create games, animations, and other graphical wonders with tkinter Why should serious adults have all the fun? Python for Kids is your ticket into the amazing world of computer programming. Covers Python 3.x which runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, even Raspberry Pi