The Analytical Engine: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet, Second Edition: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet (with CD-ROM) [Paperback]

Rick Decker (Author), Stuart Hirshfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0534391591 | ISBN-13: 978-0005753422 | Edition: 2

Rick Decker and Stuart Hirshfield's The Analytical Engine presents the discipline of computer science from a variety of perspectives, and gives students-majors and non-majors-a broad and realistic feeling for what computer scientists do and how they do it. The text develops problem-solving skills using a hands-on, lab-oriented approach, providing students with both directed and open-ended exercises that allow them to consider a variety of global issues. Throughout this integrated text/CD-ROM/Internet package, the authors encourage students to make connections between specific modules and other disciplines. The Analytical Engine serves as an excellent model for a contemporary CS0 course.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick Decker is a Professor of Computer Science at Hamilton College. In addition to authoring numerous textbooks, Dr. Decker's research interests include computer science education, algorithms and computability, and topological graph theory. He has won teaching awards from Ohio State, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Hamilton College.

Stuart Hirshfield is a Professor of Computer Science at Hamilton College. He was an original member of the Liberal Arts Computer Science consortium, and continues to conduct research in the fields of computer science education, software engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology; 2 edition (November 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534391591
• ISBN-13: 978-0005753422
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great starter..., March 24, 2000

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A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Analytical Engine: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet (Paperback)

I used this book in my introductory level computer science course. I found this book to be an essential tool in my early undersanding of how computer works in general and more importantly how to develop working algorithms. This book is well designed and easy to read and easy to understand. This book comes with a CD ROM. I believe this is the key feature to this book. On the CD ROM there are emulators of various computer operations. (eg. Compiler tree breakdown, and many other emulators. An Excellent book!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, Very Well-Written Book, December 15, 2004

By 

David A. Lessnau (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Analytical Engine: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet, Second Edition: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)

This book is one of the two texts in FSU's COP 3502: "Introduction to Computer Science" course (a required course in their Computer Science degree). As the authors state in the preface, they "wanted to design a 'CS 0' course that was a true survey course." They did an excellent job. Basically, they start with the assumption that the reader has never turned on a computer in his life and take him through its history, how to use it, what programming is about, and how the hardware works. They even teach a bit of HTML and JavaScript. There's very little I can say that is bad about the book. It comes down to some typgraphical errors, an incorrect web address for the online portion of the book (easily figured out from the page their web address takes you to), and my belief that they took out too many steps in describing computer switches, gates, and circuits. Frankly, I'm amazed that they reasonably went from a neophyte level to a fully-grounded level in one book. I rate it as 5 stars out of 5.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars dominated by the Web, July 11, 2007

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Analytical Engine: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet, Second Edition: An Introduction to Computer Science Using the Internet (with CD-ROM) (Paperback)

Deckers gives you a concise tour of computer science. Not enough to turn you into a programmer, given the space limitations of the book. But he covers many key ideas in the field. Including Usenet, email, virtual communities [think Second Life], and the World Wide Web. Naturally, he has to explain HTML, as the graphical language of the Web. HTML is so simple that he essentially explains all its important points. Including the crucial hyperlink tag.

The book then segues naturally from HTML to XML. Where you can now write your own tags. Immensely flexible and popular.

It is only after this, that the book goes into the traditional topics of computer science. The explanations of what makes a programming language. He uses JavaScript as one example of such a language. So you learn about constructs like for loops, if-else and while statements.

The book is really dominated by the Web. The pedagogy stresses this.