• Book Name: Python by Example Learning to Program in 150 Challenges by Nichola Lacey
• Author: Nichola Lacey
• Pages: 191
• Size: 10 MB

Learning to Program in Python by Example Pdf

Introduction

If you have ever picked up a programming manual and felt your forehead go clammy and your eyes cross as you attempt to make sense of the longwinded explanations, this is the guide for you.

I have been in your position, attempting to learn how to program and having to rely on the traditional style of guides. I know from painful experience how quickly I glaze over and my brain solidifies; after only a few pages the tedium leaves me blindly reading words without any real notion of what they mean any more. Inevitably I give up and the whole process makes me feel like a limp failure, gasping for breath after I surface from drowning in technical jargon.

I hated having to read through pointless drivel and then be presented with a short program telling me exactly what to type in and then spend the next 20 pages reading about what I have just done and the 101 ways I could run it. I hated having no control over trying things out for myself and I hated the way these guides would only contain one or two challenges at the end of a chapter of theory.

I knew there had to be a better way, and thankfully there is. I wrote it and you are presently reading it, so aren’t you lucky? This guide is refreshingly different and helps you learn how to program with Python by using practical examples rather than self-important explanations.

Many programmers learn through experimentation, looking at others’ code and working out what method is best for a given situation. This book is a hands-on approach to learning programming. After minimal reading you are set a number of challenges to create the programs. You can explore and experiment with the programming language and look at the example solutions to learn how to think like a programmer. There are no chapters entitled “the architecture of a computer”, “the theory of programming” or any other gobbledy-gook other authors like to waste time with. I don’t want to baffle you with theory or blind you with overbearing explanations that suck out your enthusiasm for learning to program.

Learning to Program in Python by Example Pdf

Hopefully, you want to get stuck into creating programs, solving problems and enjoying the sense of accomplishment that you get as you proudly look over your lines of code, knowing that you created something that works. That is great, your eagerness is to be applauded and I salute those who are reading this while already sitting at their computers, fingers poised and ready to get going. If that is the case, that you already have Python open on your screen and are itching to get going, then away you go and I’ll see you in the first chapter called “The Basics” on page 11.

For everyone who is still with us and is feeling a little more timid, there are just a few more things to tell you about before you take the plunge.

How to Use This Book

This book builds from very simple programs to more complex ones. If you are new to programming or new to Python, start with “The Basics” and work through the chapters in order. If you are familiar with Python programming and feel confident with the basics, the theory and logic surrounding programming, then you can just dip in and out of the book to get help on the specifics you need. The book is split into two sections:

Part I :In Part I, each chapter takes you through some basic programming rules and challenges for you to complete and includes:

 – a simple explanation giving you pointers, which is useful if you are new to programming in Python;

 – examples of code with a short explanation, which you can use as a basis to solve the challenges;

 – a list of challenges for you to work through that get harder as you move through them. Each challenge should only take between a couple of minutes and 20 minutes to solve; however, some of the more complex challenges near the end of Part I will take longer as you build up the techniques you will be using. Don’t panic if you take longer than this, as long as you solve the problems without too much copying from the suggested solution, you are doing fine;

 – code containing a possible solution for each challenge; there is often more than one answer available, but we include just a single program as a possible solution that you can refer to if you get stuck on a particular aspect of the code.

 

Part II: In Part II, you are given some larger challenges which utilize the programming skills you learnt in Part I and allow you to consolidate and reinforce the techniques you have been practising. In this section, you are not given the help and example code that is given in Part I and it will take longer to solve each challenge. After each challenge, you are given one possible answer that you may find useful if you are stuck. However, you may have found another solution that works just as well.

 

Who Is This Book For?

This book is suitable for anyone who wants to learn how to program with Python. It is an essential tool for teachers and students in Key Stage 3 or those studying computer science who need help and ready-made examples to practise programming techniques and build confidence. It can also be used to help with a computer science programming project resource bank, to help pupils needing additional support or just a quick reminder of the syntax when creating programs.

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