Introduction to Computation and Programming Using Python

by Guttag, John V.

• ISBN13: 9780262519632
• ISBN10: 0262519631
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-01-18
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

This book introduces students with little or no prior programming experience to theart of computational problem solving, providing students with skills that will enable them to makeproductive use of computational techniques. It is based on a popular MIT course and was developedfor use not only in conventional classrooms but also in a massive open online course (or MOOC)offered by the pioneering MIT-Harvard collaboration edX. The book teaches programming in Python, butthe emphasis is on what can be done with a programming language rather than on the language itself.Students are introduced to Python and the basics of programming in the context of such computationalconcepts and techniques as exhaustive enumeration, bisection search, and efficient approximationalgorithms. The book does not require knowledge of mathematics beyond high school algebra, but doesassume that readers are comfortable with rigorous thinking and not intimidated by mathematicalconcepts. Although it covers such traditional topics as computational complexity and simplealgorithms, the book focuses on a wide range of topics not found in most introductory texts,including information visualization, simulations to model randomness, computational techniques tounderstand data, and statistical techniques that inform (and misinform). In addition, the bookexamines two related but relatively advanced topics: optimization problems and dynamic programming. Introduction to Computation and Programming Using Python can serve as astepping-stone to more advanced computer science courses, or as a basic grounding in computationalproblem solving for students in other disciplines. Ancillary materials, including problem sets, areavailable online.