© Jim Cohoon. For now, all rights reserved.
Back Python Chrestomathics Ahead |
Part 0 — What is to come
Please give it a try — It will be enlightening — And entertaining
Do not fear Python — The language cannot bite you — And easy to learn
Chrestomathics — Science of problem solving — But also an art
Section 0.0: Warning
- This effort is a work in progress. Do not be surprised there are things missing, and things that can be said better.
Section 0.1: First words
- So how should I begin? Well, that is scary to ponder. Because we are going to try something, I know is foreign to many of you.
- A simpler question to ask, What is the first thing I want to get across? The answer to that is easy — I believe you can learn to program. You did not get where you are today without being a learner. So, let’s apply those skills to programming.
- A question you might want to ask me, Why do I call this effort Python Chrestomathics rather than Python Programming. Because when developing an application, the writing of code is just a fraction of the overall effort. Far more time is spent problem solving how to accomplish what is needed. As one of the above haikus tells us, chrestomathics is a name for the science of problem solving.
- Turning you into a digital problem solver is our focus. We will be using the Python programming language as the means to express our thinking.
- I frequently cannot help myself, and here is one of those times. When Galileo first used a telescope to look at the night sky, he did not usher in Telescope Science, but Astronomy. The telescope is just a tool to support the science. I believe Computer Science is an inappropriate name for the field of computing. My vote is Computing Chrestomathics.
Galileo and the Doge of Venice, by Bernini
- Okay, now back to what is programming? Programming is a form of communication that directs a computer to do what needs to be done.
- We will write our programming instructions according to the rules of the Python programming language.
- Despite what I was taught in grammar school about what is lovable, I have come to love Python. It may have its faults, but so does everyone and everything else. I love Python because it allows interesting things to be easily accomplished by a beginning programmer. That is sweet!
Section 0.2: Goals
- There is a purpose to this effort.
- Instill within you computational thinking abilities and digital problem-solving skills. This twosome should help you better accomplish your life goals, whatever they may be.
- Provide a great introduction to programming.
- Put a hunger in you to want to learn more about computing.
Section 0.3: Succeeding
- Here are some recommendations on how to proceed.
- Persevere — Ann Hoang, University of Virginia, Computer Science, Class of 2021.
- To succeed, requires self-discipline. When working on the material — put aside external trappings and happenings of the day. Be in a workspace where you can concentrate on learning.
- Set aside regular time to work on the material. During that time, uni-task and eliminate distractions as enjoyable as they may be. Being regular in time and space, will strengthen your ability to succeed.
- By committing yourself to actively and regularly to learning to program, I expect you to not only be successful, but to excel.
- There will be examples that follow. Not only try them out, but also experiment with them. Hypothesize what a change should do. Test it, if it matches what happens, great. If it does not, figure out what your hypothesis should have been, and that is great too.
- There will also be exercises to undertake. Doing them is important. They will have you bring together the learning points.
Section 0.4: Necessary downloads
- To learn Python programming, a Python application is absolutely needed. This software needs to be installed first. You will also need an application to support program development.
- If you are enrolled in my course,
- You can find the necessary software here.
- Otherwise,
- Python application downloads are available at www.python.org.
- Three popular applications that support program development Eclipse, PyCharm, and Visual Studio. In our introductory courses we use the PyCharm Community Edition. Download the one of your choice and install it.
Section 0.5: What’s next
- Introduce the terminology that is ubiquitous throughout problem solving and programming.
Back Ahead |