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.

A guide to entrepreneurial freedom with only one focused hour a day, covering time management, marketing, business assets, and more.

How to learn Python during your coffee break? Coffee Break Python is a new step-by-step system to teach you how to learn Python faster, smarter, and better. You do nothing but solving one practical Python puzzle as you enjoy your morning coffee. Why should you care about puzzle-based learning? Educational research shows that practical low-stake puzzles and tests help you to learn faster, smarter, and better. We used this for coding in Coffee Break Python and our academy Finxter.com. 13,000 online Python students have already improved their coding skills with our unique puzzle-based learning technique: "I very much enjoy your Finxter.com website because it has some real meat to the problems. Thank you so much for doing this project! I love it!" --David C. "Your site is awesome." --Victor A. "I found Finxter.com an excellent tool to brush up on my Python skills. I totally love the setup of playing against the questions - such a wonderful idea --Jesper R. Why should you read this book? As you work through Coffee Break Python, your Python expertise will grow--one coffee at a time. It's packed with 50 Python puzzles, 10 practical learning tips, 5 compressed cheat sheets, and 1 new way to measure your coding skills. You will train wildly important Python topics such as Arithmetic operations: integer & float division, and modular arithmetic; Language elements: branching, loops, keywords, and functions; Data structures: integer, float, string, list, set, dictionary, and graph; Sequence operators: indexing, concatenation, slicing, and built-in functions; Function *arguments: default *, arbitrary *, unpacking *, keyword *; Set operations: lambda, filter, map, and intersection functions; and Algorithms: recursion, Fibonacci, matrix search, bubble sort, quick sort, lexicographical sort, guess & check, binary search, and graph traversal. As a bonus, you will track your individual Python coding skill level throughout the book. Who should read this book? You are slightly beyond beginner-level in Python. For example, You have already experience with another programming language--it's time to tackle Python. You are a professional engineer and want to brush up your Python skills. You are a student and need to get better at Python for academic courses. So how do you spend your Coffee Break? Python!

Python programmers will improve their computer science skills with these useful one-liners. Python One-Liners will teach you how to read and write "one-liners": concise statements of useful functionality packed into a single line of code. You'll learn how to systematically unpack and understand any line of Python code, and write eloquent, powerfully compressed Python like an expert. The book's five chapters cover tips and tricks, regular expressions, machine learning, core data science topics, and useful algorithms. Detailed explanations of one-liners introduce key computer science concepts and boost your coding and analytical skills. You'll learn about advanced Python features such as list comprehension, slicing, lambda functions, regular expressions, map and reduce functions, and slice assignments. You'll also learn how to: • Leverage data structures to solve real-world problems, like using Boolean indexing to find cities with above-average pollution • Use NumPy basics such as array, shape, axis, type, broadcasting, advanced indexing, slicing, sorting, searching, aggregating, and statistics • Calculate basic statistics of multidimensional data arrays and the K-Means algorithms for unsupervised learning • Create more advanced regular expressions using grouping and named groups, negative lookaheads, escaped characters, whitespaces, character sets (and negative characters sets), and greedy/nongreedy operators • Understand a wide range of computer science topics, including anagrams, palindromes, supersets, permutations, factorials, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, obfuscation, searching, and algorithmic sorting By the end of the book, you'll know how to write Python at its most refined, and create concise, beautiful pieces of "Python art" in merely a single line.

The Man of His Word series debut—a novel “with enough fresh ideas to allow it to sit unashamedly alongside the great fantasy books of recent times” (Fantasy Book Review). “Duncan’s unique concept of goblins, fauns, and imps adds a new twist to this imaginative fantasy adventure” as Princess Inosolan is forced to leave behind her carefree childhood—as well as her dear friend, the stableboy Rap (Library Journal). Now of marriageable age, she is sent to a finishing school to hone the skills that all noble ladies should possess. Mystery, menace, and the gods appear in short order, as Inos and Rap begin to discover their magical powers, even as Inos is courted by a charming man with motives far more dangerous than the eye—and heart—can see . . . “Magic Casement has a charm and vibrant sense of humor. . . . If it’s traditional fantasy adventure with a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink you’re after, Dave Duncan is your go-to guy.” —SFReviews.net

Out of Control chronicles the dawn of a new era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things.

R is the world's most popular language for developing statistical software: Archaeologists use it to track the spread of ancient civilizations, drug companies use it to discover which medications are safe and effective, and actuaries use it to assess financial risks and keep economies running smoothly. The Art of R Programming takes you on a guided tour of software development with R, from basic types and data structures to advanced topics like closures, recursion, and anonymous functions. No statistical knowledge is required, and your programming skills can range from hobbyist to pro. Along the way, you'll learn about functional and object-oriented programming, running mathematical simulations, and rearranging complex data into simpler, more useful formats. You'll also learn to: –Create artful graphs to visualize complex data sets and functions –Write more efficient code using parallel R and vectorization –Interface R with C/C++ and Python for increased speed or functionality –Find new R packages for text analysis, image manipulation, and more –Squash annoying bugs with advanced debugging techniques Whether you're designing aircraft, forecasting the weather, or you just need to tame your data, The Art of R Programming is your guide to harnessing the power of statistical computing.

This book is the chess grandmaster way of learning Python. It offers you 127 unique and brand-new Python puzzles. Every puzzle points to gaps in your knowledge, challenges you to guess a solution, and then explains potential solutions, in an easy-to-understand manner: ~~~ # Here's one example puzzle: my_list = [1, 1, 1, 1] my_list[1::2] = [2, 3] print(my_list) # What's the output of this code snippet? ~~~ An easy, fun, and effective way of learning Python -- day after day -- in your COFFEE BREAK PYTHON! Here's what research says about puzzle-based learning: "Students who were quizzed after studying a short text could recall significantly more information than students who were asked to reread it" -- Karpicke, 2007, Elsevier Journal of Memory and Language Practice testing is scientifically proven to generate up to 44% better learning retention and efficiency. Simply put: quizzes and puzzles work! More than 100,000 Finxters and thousands of "Coffee Break Python" book customers have already successfully improved their skills with code puzzles. Learning does not happen in a linear and orderly manner. It's a probabilistic, chaotic, and iterative process of creating knowledge gaps in your brain -- and filling them with just the right information you need. That's the premise of the "Coffee Break Python" textbook series. What will you get out of the book? Improve your level of deep Python code understanding. Surprise your peers with your newly acquired code speed reading skills. Enjoy the small daily doses of intellectual challenges. A Finxter once called it "Sudoku for coders"! ;) Improve your brain's working memory by hammering down the most important concepts. Learn all the basic Python syntax elements. Discover your own skill level by tracking your puzzle-solving performance. Compare your skill level against other coders: are you a grandmaster of code? Enjoy the fun of rushing over Python -- from "hello world" to "recursive Quicksort". Get the best of all Finxter Python cheat sheets to revive 80% of the Python features in 20% of the time. Get your dream job and rock future code interviews! And take one step forward mastering the most popular programming language ON THE PLANET!

Information theory and inference, taught together in this exciting textbook, lie at the heart of many important areas of modern technology - communication, signal processing, data mining, machine learning, pattern recognition, computational neuroscience, bioinformatics and cryptography. The book introduces theory in tandem with applications. Information theory is taught alongside practical communication systems such as arithmetic coding for data compression and sparse-graph codes for error-correction. Inference techniques, including message-passing algorithms, Monte Carlo methods and variational approximations, are developed alongside applications to clustering, convolutional codes, independent component analysis, and neural networks. Uniquely, the book covers state-of-the-art error-correcting codes, including low-density-parity-check codes, turbo codes, and digital fountain codes - the twenty-first-century standards for satellite communications, disk drives, and data broadcast. Richly illustrated, filled with worked examples and over 400 exercises, some with detailed solutions, the book is ideal for self-learning, and for undergraduate or graduate courses. It also provides an unparalleled entry point for professionals in areas as diverse as computational biology, financial engineering and machine learning.