Home » Chapter 1 : Preliminaries
About this eBook
Welcome to my Programming Across Disciplines with Python + AI Tools eBook. Many great resources are available for learning computer programming and Python. I wrote this book specifically focused on learning computer programming and Python for people interested in programming across disciplines. Programming is often perceived as a topic for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines. Historically, this was true. However, today, people in STEM and non-STEM disciplines are actively programming computers for their own purposes. I approach computer programming with that reality in mind.
I started this eBook project in 2019 as a supplemental text to a Python class I taught at the regional community college. Since then, I have expanded it to meet the needs of other types I teach and projects I work on. My primary goal is to present topics concisely (that is, large topics summarized), allowing the reader to gain a fundamental understanding of critical concepts without reading hundreds of pages. I do not intend for this book to replace a solid, expansive textbook on the subject. Many phenomenal books are available that provide deep dives into the topics presented here as needed.
This book largely complete, however it is a work in progress as technology is constantly changing. I am always interested in feedback on this project, so if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to contact me. Also, if you would like to receive sparse updates on the progress of this project, feel free to subscribe as well.
In order to write computer programs we need several tools, that is, a computer and various forms of software that allow programmers to write and test their programs. There are many such tools available for use. In this book, I will introduce you to several options for working with the concepts and programming needs for writing Python programs. These will include traditional programming tools, as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools that aid in accelerating your programming productivity. Some of these tools are available online while others require you to install software on your computer, and each have their own learning curve. This is all part of learning programming, that is, to invest time in learning the tools of the trade.
I use a variety of conventions in this book to help with the learning process, as outlined below.
In a browser on a computer screen, each page has a context-sensitive menu on the right side of the screen. You can find this menu on mobile devices under the menu symbol at the top of the screen.
At the bottom of each page, there are previous and next page buttons you can use to return to previous content or move on to the next page of content in sequence.
In this book, I provide many Python code examples that you can copy and paste into your Python editor to explore and use for practice. Code segments are in the Courier font and appear on a background color like this:
for n in range(1,5):
print(n)Throughout the book, I ask questions and provide examples that lead to a result. In many of those cases, I hide the answer so you can try to answer the question or determine the outcome on your own before I give you the answer. In those cases, you'll see the question or example followed by an Answer button that will display the answer or result when you click on it. For example:
Who invented the Python programming language?