Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 3rd Ed.

23 reviews for Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 3rd Ed.

1. An Amazon User

   Rated 5 out of 5

   June 1, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book

   I teach the CS101 course or some incarnation thereof in our institution of learning and have been doing so for over 30 years. I started with Basic, th...More

   I teach the CS101 course or some incarnation thereof in our institution of learning and have been doing so for over 30 years. I started with Basic, then went to Pascal, then to C, then to C++, and finally we are doing Java. Fornow we are sticking with JavaHwever...
   I see Python as being very much "in my face," a language I should pick up just to keep up. Whether our department switches to Python at a later date or not is moot; Python seems to be the new lingua franca for the CS community, so I felt I had better at least acquire a journeyman's knowledge.
   I am now going through this opus by Dr. Zelle and cannot praise it enough. His prose is simple and elegant, and his semantic modeling (if I can use such a term) is superb.
   I love the way he describes variables, for example. He equates them to Post It notes. No need to get arcane and go into a long exposition on garbage collection. Dr. Zell infers that a new assignment into the same variable equates to a more up-to-date Post It note in the computer's memory. Assign a different value into a named variable using its value and you have a new, updated Post It note. Easy peasy. And...
   no need to jump through that hoop of using an extra "temp" variable to exchange the values of x and y when we put this model to use. "x, y = y, x" will suffice, thank you.
   I was skeptical about his discussing graphics iso early (Chapter 4, for heavens, sake?). His example where he showed an investment value histogram had me thinking, "Students are going to have to deal with this?" Simple, yes, but the need to jump through hoops with some accurate expression to match the semantics implied by the heights of bars on a two-d surface? Uh..uh. No thanks.
   Then I read on... Just apply the setCoords and voila, we do away with most, if not all, of the computational, albeit doable, complexity.
   I liked to be awed by brilliance, and in one simple example (and rewrite of the original problem), I became simultaneously awed both by his brilliance and by Guido von Rossum's brilliance with his invention of the setCoords function to simplify graphic applications. Easy peasey again!
   I have yet to read through the rest of the book (and to sit down at the computer, doing my share of hacking and error-making that's the lot of anybody who wants to achieve serious journeymanship in a given language), but I know it will be a summer well spent.
   Whether or not my institute of learning switches to Python or not has become a moot issue for me. If we do switch, Zelle's our man. Cyber applause to him for this remarkable work he has done!

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   Amazon Customer

   Rated 5 out of 5

   March 21, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book for self learners!

   I bought this book for an online computer programming course I am taking for my degree and it is wonderful! John Zelle is great at explaining the conc...More

   I bought this book for an online computer programming course I am taking for my degree and it is wonderful! John Zelle is great at explaining the concepts of Python and I find his book really easy to use. I am only on chapter 5 but have learned so much already and excited to learn more! Great book for self learners!

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   Matti

   Rated 5 out of 5

   March 9, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars A Thorough Learning Tool

   Written by a professor and I feel like I’m getting a proper foundation to python. Numerous exercises and study questions and m/c that round out my und...More

   Written by a professor and I feel like I’m getting a proper foundation to python. Numerous exercises and study questions and m/c that round out my understanding. Yes, he provides an answer key which I only found after 2nd chapter. Highly recommended.

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   GoldenChicken

   Rated 5 out of 5

   March 4, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars It's as it says

   Book is books :)

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   Thomas.

   Rated 5 out of 5

   January 5, 2022

   5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book

   This book is VERY well written and easy to understand.It actually gave me the confidence to pursue my CS degree in my freshman year as I was uncertain...More

   This book is VERY well written and easy to understand.
   It actually gave me the confidence to pursue my CS degree in my freshman year as I was uncertain if I'd be able to understand the subject or not. This book gave me a sold foundation that I was able to build on.

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   Peter A. Herrmann

   Rated 5 out of 5

   June 30, 2020

   5.0 out of 5 stars Great for learning both Python AND programing graphics .

   Of course, this book covers ALL aspects of Python, not just graphics. I'd gotten another Python book a few years ago - which I'd since forgotten - but...More

   Of course, this book covers ALL aspects of Python, not just graphics. I'd gotten another Python book a few years ago - which I'd since forgotten - but it did not cover graphics. Also, to repeat from my headline, this book has great exercises for learning the language.

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   Tieneke Carver

   Rated 5 out of 5

   June 3, 2020

   5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality.

   Nicely packaged and good quality.

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   Cyd

   Rated 5 out of 5

   March 8, 2020

   5.0 out of 5 stars Grad school level beginner coding

   Great beginner coding book

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   Faith

   Rated 5 out of 5

   January 10, 2020

   5.0 out of 5 stars Emphasis on Intro to computer science using python as he states

   I’m by far not new to programming but sometimes like assuming I am. Author nails the important stuff to let you hit the ground running. As author st...More

   I’m by far not new to programming but sometimes like assuming I am. Author nails the important stuff to let you hit the ground running. As author states though it’s not an all encompassing python book. I blitzed book in a week and plenty of exercises to ensure proficiency of subject matter.

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   elbow667

   Rated 5 out of 5

   November 21, 2019

   5.0 out of 5 stars its a text book, it's exactly what they use at school

   its a brand new book, still in the wrap when delivered. it's a dry college textbook, not particularly interesting but my son is taking the class and ...More

   its a brand new book, still in the wrap when delivered. it's a dry college textbook, not particularly interesting but my son is taking the class and wasn't allowed to take his book home from school, so we bought this one so he could practice at home. So far he has not done any practice at home, I guess I need to tell him to do his homework.

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   Derek Stokes Jr

   Rated 5 out of 5

   September 9, 2019

   5.0 out of 5 stars I didn’t start here, but should have...

   Excellent read. The author keeps concepts as simple as possible and fluid in delivery. I read the book for fun after already knowing python. Definitel...More

   Excellent read. The author keeps concepts as simple as possible and fluid in delivery. I read the book for fun after already knowing python. Definitely recommended as the books comes with tips and strategies that will help build a masterful programmer with application. Overall Zelle makes the reader comfortable and excited to start coding and calling himself a computer scientist. I kissed the book when I finished it.

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   Oscar Castillo

   Rated 5 out of 5

   April 22, 2019

   5.0 out of 5 stars For grassroots learning

   This is a beginner’s book

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   79-year-old bearded gentleman

   Rated 5 out of 5

   January 20, 2019

   5.0 out of 5 stars A nice, approachable textbook for a non-Computer Scientist

   I use this textbook for teaching computer programming to college students who are NOT contemplating majors or minors in Computer Science. It is a gent...More

   I use this textbook for teaching computer programming to college students who are NOT contemplating majors or minors in Computer Science. It is a gentle approach to programming for students who intend to make a career in some other field. Contrary to the author's claim on the cover, it is NOT an introduction to the field of Computer Science. There is much, much more to the science of computing that simply learning a programming language.
   
   That being said, this is an excellent textbook for someone who has to program a computer in support of a career in another field -- for example, mathematics, the physical and biological sciences, the social sciences, business, the arts, etc.
   
   The author takes the student on a gentle journey thru the basic skills of instructing a computer using the Python language, itself a gentle language that avoids the arcana and seemingly obtuseness of most other computer languages. Few, if any, of my students have the time or patience for the rigor of other aspects of CS, but they come away with an appreciation that computers are no more magical than any other tool.
   
   By the end of my seven-week course, students will have calculated and graphed a cosine function from first principles. They will have counted the words in "Moby Dick" and will have listed them alphabetically, with their frequencies of occurrence. They will have drawn a game of Pong, showing balls bouncing around a Pong board, and they will have plotted real estate data on a regional map, based on latitude, longitude, and price.
   
   Most importantly, they will have enough if an appreciation for computer programming that they will not be "snowed" or intimidated by programmers when they enter their own professional careers. For someone in a similar situation, I highly recommend this book and the Python language that it teaches.
   
   A professor with a Ph. D. in Computer Science at a well-known technological university.

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   JW

   Rated 5 out of 5

   September 9, 2018

   5.0 out of 5 stars Great!!!

   Great book, great price. Had delivered overseas and came on time. Excellent

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   Christopher John Millett

   Rated 5 out of 5

   August 3, 2018

   5.0 out of 5 stars but this is certainly a good starter book

   This has taught me a lot about the basic fundamentals of Python. I ended up using more of Stack overflow, but this is certainly a good starter book. T...More

   This has taught me a lot about the basic fundamentals of Python. I ended up using more of Stack overflow, but this is certainly a good starter book. The last chapter, I think chapter 12 or 13, talks about algorithm development, and I found that quite diffiicult to comprehend for a beginner, but I pushed through. Great book, and download the recommend modules, like graphics.py, with your Python development. Although this is for students, it's really for anyone who wants to start programming in a relatively easy and understandable programming language.

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   Melanie

   Rated 5 out of 5

   January 3, 2018

   5.0 out of 5 stars It is incredibly simple and explanatory and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to learn Python

   This is the first college text book I actually want to keep! It is incredibly simple and explanatory and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to le...More

   This is the first college text book I actually want to keep! It is incredibly simple and explanatory and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to learn Python.

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   Chris daniel

   Rated 5 out of 5

   November 14, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars Great computer science/python book

   I’m only in chapter 3, but I can tell this is a great textbook for college or self study of computer science and python. I’m using this for self study...More

   I’m only in chapter 3, but I can tell this is a great textbook for college or self study of computer science and python. I’m using this for self study, solutions and coding examples available on publisher website

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   Shawn Berry

   Rated 5 out of 5

   October 15, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars Python Programming teaches Python and Computer Science -- a book so well-written that you can self-learn as I did

   I recently finished John Zelle's book 'Python Programming'. I had paid for a Coursera course and bought other Python books before finding this wonder...More

   I recently finished John Zelle's book 'Python Programming'. I had paid for a Coursera course and bought other Python books before finding this wonderful book. Buy this book to (1) learn to program in Python and (2) understand the big picture Computer Science of why you are making these programming choices. As a mathematician and a teacher, I recommend this book.
   Shawn Berry
   President, AppliedMathematician.com

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   Christian Morales

   Rated 5 out of 5

   September 17, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

   The best book for completely beginners, explains everything you need to became a computer scientist.

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   Linda T.

   Rated 5 out of 5

   September 4, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars this seems the best.

   Of the four new Python books I recently bought, this seems the best.

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   Shravan

   Rated 5 out of 5

   March 25, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book and covers a lot of topics.

   Wish I was taught with this book for my intro CS class which was in C++. Zelle makes difficult concepts simple as a pie. Amazing author and great book...More

   Wish I was taught with this book for my intro CS class which was in C++. Zelle makes difficult concepts simple as a pie. Amazing author and great book.

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   Renee Yaldoo

   Rated 5 out of 5

   January 25, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars GET THIS BOOK

   So far, I love this book. I wish I learned Python as my first language before C++. This book is amazing for first-time users. PLEASE GET THIS BOOK YOU...More

   So far, I love this book. I wish I learned Python as my first language before C++. This book is amazing for first-time users. PLEASE GET THIS BOOK YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!

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   Ruoyqi

   Rated 5 out of 5

   January 6, 2017

   5.0 out of 5 stars I think the best part of this book is many examples in this ...

   I took one python programming course last semester. I think the best part of this book is many examples in this book are outstanding. They cover many ...More

   I took one python programming course last semester. I think the best part of this book is many examples in this book are outstanding. They cover many relevant concepts, explanation and logic that author provides which is useful. Also, the connection between examples and exercises is clear. As long as you understand example, there will be no difficulty to finish the exercise.Even though some of them are challenging, the logic is almost the same. I highly recommend this book.

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