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1999 | Book

Programming for Everyone in Java

Author: Per Brinch Hansen

Publisher: Springer New York

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About this book

This is a book about computer programming for everyone: artist, poet, student, doctor, accountant, or engineer. It assumes you know very little or nothing about how computers work. This book will show you how to write understandable computer programs in Java, a programming language widely used on the Internet.
Why should we be interested in learning computer programming? Even though most readers will not wish to become professional programmers, programming is fun and useful. You will enjoy learning a new skill and becoming good at it. And, in today's world it is important for professionals in any field to appreciate what computers can (and cannot) do well. To reach this level of understanding, you must go beyond the routine skills of a computer user and learn the art of programming in some depth.
While emphasizing general principles of programming this book:
* Uses examples from the humanities only, requiring no math or engineering knowledge
* Explains all programming concepts by means of complete programs
* Concentrates on exercises solved by writing complete programs
* Takes the reader from text input/output to object-oriented programming in the equivalent of a one semester class.
* Gives the reader a solid background for follow-on courses on the graphics and networking facilities of Java.
This book is a sound and complete introduction to programming and not just another Java reference book for those who already know how to program. Although the book uses Java, the same methods can be used for systematic programming in other languages, such as C, Fortran, and Pascal. The book makes a splendid text for a one semester course on beginning programming and for such a course there are teaching aids available at the author's website. Professor Per Brinch Hansen, is one of the leading pioneers in computer programming, and his insight and experience make learning proper computer programming in Java fun and easy for everyone.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter
1. Simple Programs
Abstract
To solve a problem on a computer you must write a program, that is, a sequence of instructions for the computer to follow. This chapter explains how you write and execute simple programs.
Per Brinch Hansen
2. Simple Choice
Abstract
A simple program always performs the same sequence of operations when it runs. We will now explore programs that have a choice between different actions depending on the input data.
Per Brinch Hansen
3. Multiple Choice
Abstract
This chapter introduces the switch statement for programs that choose one of several actions depending on the value of an expression. It also describes programs that use random number generators to make unpredictable choices.
Per Brinch Hansen
4. Simple Repetition
Abstract
This chapter explains how statements can be executed repeatedly by means of for statements.
Per Brinch Hansen
5. Unbounded Repetition
Abstract
This chapter introduces while statements for repetition in wehich the number of iterations required to solve a problem may be unpredictable.
Per Brinch Hansen
6. Text Files
Abstract
A data structure is a group of related data items that are regarded as a single entity. A text file is a data structure that provides sequential access to characters and strings. This chapter explains how text files are stored and processed on a computer.
Per Brinch Hansen
7. Simple Arrays
Abstract
This chapter introduces the array, a data structure that provides direct access to a group of variables of the same type.
Per Brinch Hansen
8. Matrices
Abstract
This chapter explores the use of matrices to compute two-dimensional tables.
Per Brinch Hansen
9. Methods
Abstract
This chapter introduces the method concept, which assigns a name to a block statement. The method name serves as an abbreviation for the block statement and makes it possible to use the same statement in different places without copying it.d
Per Brinch Hansen
10. Recursion
Abstract
This chapter introduces recursion, one of the most beautiful ideas in computer programming. (You may skip this chapter on a first reading and return to it later.)
Per Brinch Hansen
11. Classes
Abstract
This chapter introduces the class concept, which combines related variables and methods into a single program module.
Per Brinch Hansen
Backmatter
Metadata
Title
Programming for Everyone in Java
Author
Per Brinch Hansen
Copyright Year
1999
Publisher
Springer New York
Electronic ISBN
978-1-4612-1514-1
Print ISBN
978-0-387-98683-8
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1514-1