Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science
Product Description
This book is designed to be used as the primary textbook in a college-level first course in computing. It takes a fairly traditional approach, emphasizing problem solving, design, and programming as the core skills of computer science. However, these ideas are illustrated using a non-traditional language, namely Python. Although I use Python as the language, teaching Python is not the main point of this book. Rather, Python is used to illustrate fundamental princ… More >>
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This book is a wonderful introduction to computer science and programming in Python. I recommend it highly.
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Rating: 5 / 5
As a student who has been assigned this book I have found it frustrating to use for the most part. Most of the text deals with the intro to computer science but in terms of helping to actually use python and solve the programming problems at the end of each chapter it has been very frustrating. There is no list of new methods at the end of each chapter and the appendix is light on details. I find myself consulting the internet and other texts frequently.
I suppose as an introduction to computer science text this book is well written, but the fact is that most of a student’s grade is probably going to come from actual programming assignments and this book is almost entirely useless as a reference for when I get stuck. This is especially troublesome in the latter chapters as the programming problems get more complex. I now find myself spending hours in trial and error approaches when what I really want is a prominent list of methods and some detailed examples that are more relevent to the programming problems.
I have also found that most of the programming problems ask me to modify an example program from the chapter but often the level of detail in the development of the example program is insufficient for a clear understanding of how the example program works. This also gets worse the farther along I get.
This book is more suited to a course that is mainly intro to computer science and a little programming and not as in the class I am in, light on computer science and several programming problems each week.
Rating: 2 / 5
This is the best introduction of Python I’ve found so far. It has many examples and exercises which are helpful in the development of Python programming skills. However, it is still a little random in helping new programmers.
Rating: 4 / 5
I have not read the book all the way through yet, but I have found it to be a very easy read so far. I was required to use the book for my Intro to Computer Science course, so I didn’t get a choice in the matter, but I have found the book to be very helpful. The explanations and examples are easy to follow, and there is no unnecessary repetition of ideas and concepts. The appendix in the back of the book is a valuable tool that gives a list of all the basic features that are helpful in writing Python programs.
Rating: 4 / 5
Most beginning programming books do an ok job of explaining syntax features, but then they lose you when it comes time to put together complicated programs. This book holds it together to the end. Its to bad that “An Introduction to Computer Science” is in the title as that might scare away people who think this is beyond the basics.
Rating: 5 / 5