Python for Software Design
Python for Software Design
A no-nonsense introduction to software design using the Python programming language. Written 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 practise 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.
- No-nonsense style, perfect for beginning undergraduates and first-time programmers
- Difficult concepts explained in bite-size portions
- Lots of exercises, from short examples to substantial projects, with solutions and example code available from www.thinkpython.com
Reviews & endorsements
'I liked this book. The presentation is neat and clean, I might even say cheerful. And I learned a lot, not least of all where higher level languages are going, and the terminology used to express that … I liked the pace of presentation. I liked the constant stirring of topics: a new feature, a hint on debugging, a few words on programming style, some thoughts on programming principles, then on to the next new feature. It really is a nice mix.' Scientific Programming
'… explains concepts in clear, readable prose; contains helpful illustrations; and integrates activities to engage its readers.' Computing in Science and Engineering
Product details
March 2009Paperback
9780521725965
270 pages
253 × 178 × 14 mm
0.47kg
25 b/w illus. 118 exercises
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Preface
- 2. The way of the program
- 3. Variables, expressions and statements
- 4. Functions
- 5. Case study: interface design
- 6. Conditionals and recursion
- 7. Fruitful functions
- 8. Iteration
- 9. Strings
- 10. Case study: word play
- 11. Lists
- 12. Dictionaries
- 13. Tuples
- 14. Case study: data structure selection
- 15. Files
- 16. Classes and objects
- 17. Classes and functions
- 18. Classes and methods
- 19. Inheritance
- 20. Case study: Tkinter
- Appendix 1: debugging.
