Python for Software Design: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist (Paperback)

~ Allen B. Downey (Author) "The goal of this book is to teach you to think like a computer scientist..." (more)
Key Phrases: data structure selection, tuple assignment, def factorial, Case Study, Car Talk Puzzler, Word Play (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Python for Software Design is a concise introduction to software design using the Python programming language. Intended for people with no programming experience, this book starts with the most basic concepts and gradually adds new material. Some of the ideas students find most challenging, like recursion and object-oriented programming, are divided into a sequence of smaller steps and introduced over the course of several chapters. The focus is on the programming process, with special emphasis on debugging. The book includes a wide range of exercises, from short examples to substantial projects, so that students have ample opportunity to practice each new concept. Exercise solutions and code examples are available from thinkpython.com, along with Swampy, a suite of Python programs that is used in some of the exercises.

Book Description

Python for Software Design is a concise introduction to software design using the Python programming language. The focus is on the programming process, with special emphasis on debugging. The book includes a wide range of exercises, from short examples to substantial projects, so that students have ample opportunity to practice each new concept.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (March 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521725968
• ISBN-13: 978-0521725965
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,086 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to both Python and Computer Science, July 10, 2009

By	Mfragin - See all my reviews

This book fills a niche that few other Python books can fill: an introduction to Python that also gives a strong introduction to computer science and software design.

I have read many Python books aimed at students in Computer Science that are little more than translations of a previous book into Python. Many of those books are full of "non-Pythonic", unintuitive, or erroneous code. This book makes none of those mistakes. In a relatively small package it still manages to give a firm foundation in writing concise and efficient Python programs. Chapters are written around Python's basic data types and quickly show the correct way to use these structures.

The case studies included are excellent and get students involved with graphics early in the book--with help from the Swampy module. Other case studies show how easy it is to use Python to parse text files and write functions for lexicographical analysis. After covering the basic types (including files and modules), Downey moves on to object-oriented programming and wraps up the book with a look at Graphical User Interface (GUI) programming in Python.

This book is well suited to individual study, but I use it in a high school Computer Science course. I find this book to be much better than most textbooks aimed at introductory computer science students. This book compares well with the classic Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science [With CD-ROM] [PYTHON PROGRAMMING].