book

Computer Science Programming Basics in Ruby

by Ophir Frieder, Gideon Frieder, David Grossman

April 2013

Beginner

186 pages

4h 50m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Preface
Conventions Used in This Book
Using Code Examples
Safari® Books Online
How to Contact Us
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction to Computer Science
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Application Development
Step 1: Understand the ProblemStep 2: Write Out the Solution in Plain LanguageStep 3: Translate the Language into CodeStep 4: Test the Code in the Computer
1.3 Algorithms
1.3.1 Algorithm Efficiency

1.4 Summary
1.4.1 Key Concepts1.4.2 Key Definitions
1.5 Exercises
2. How Does the Computer Really Work?
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Basic Nomenclature and Components of a Computer System
2.3 Scales of Magnitude
2.4 Instruction Execution—Speed and Timing Scales
2.5 Bit Strings and Their Meaning
2.6 The Interpreter Process and Ruby
2.7 Summary
2.7.1 Key Concepts2.7.2 Key Definitions
2.8 Exercises
3. Core Programming Elements
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Getting Started
How to Install RubyHow to Save Programs
3.3 What Is a Variable?
Constants: Variables That Never ChangeData TypesIntegerFloatStringsBooleans
3.4 Basic Arithmetic Operators
3.5 Input and Output
Output Using VariablesDisplay User InputBasic ProgramsStep 1: Understanding the ProblemStep 2: Write Out the Problem in Plain LanguageStep 3: Rewrite the Plain Language into CodeStep 4: Test the Code in the Computer
3.6 Common Programming Errors
Syntax ErrorsLogic Errors
3.7 Mixing Data Types
3.8 Summary
3.8.1 Key Concepts3.8.2 Key Definitions
3.9 Exercises
4. Conditional Structures
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Flow of Execution
Logic Flow
4.3 Conditional Control
Control Flow
4.4 If-Then-Else Statements
Testing Conditional FlowElsif Statements
4.5 Case Statements
4.6 Debugging
4.6.1 Alternative Styles of Debugging
4.7 Summary
4.7.1 Key Concepts4.7.2 Key Definitions
4.8 Exercises
5. Loop Structures
5.1 Introduction
5.2 While Loops
5.3 Until Loops
5.4 For Loops and Nested Loops
For LoopsNested Loops
5.5 Infinite Loops
5.6 Example: Finding Prime Numbers
5.7 Summary
5.7.1 Key Concepts5.7.2 Key Definitions
5.8 Exercises
6. Arrays
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Array Types
6.2.1 One-Dimensional ArraysExample: Find the Max6.2.2 Multidimensional ArraysExample: Find the Max—Modified
6.3 Hashes
Example: HashExample: Accessing a HashExample: Find the Max—Hash
6.4 Summary
6.4.1 Key Concepts6.4.2 Key Definitions
6.5 Exercises
7. Sorting and Searching
7.1 Introduction
7.1.1 Selection Sort7.1.2 Insertion Sort7.1.3 Bubble Sort7.1.4 Radix Sort
7.2 Complexity Analysis
7.3 Searching
7.3.1 Linear Search7.3.2 Binary Search
7.4 Summary
7.4.1 Key Concepts7.4.2 Key Definitions
7.5 Exercises
8. Using Objects
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Objects and Built-in Objects
8.2.1 Objects8.2.2 Built-in Objects8.2.3 Parameter Passing
8.3 Summary
8.3.1 Key Concepts8.3.2 Key Definitions
8.4 Exercises
9. Defining Classes and Creating Objects
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Instantiating Objects from Classes
9.3 Data and Methods
9.3.1 Grouping Data and Methods9.3.2 Implementing Methods
9.4 Summary
9.4.1 Key Concepts9.4.2 Key Definitions
9.5 Exercises
10. Object Inheritance
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Inheritance
10.3 Basic Method Overriding
10.4 Accessing the Superclass
10.5 Applications
10.5.1 Person Database10.5.2 Grocery Store10.5.3 Video Games
10.6 Summary
10.6.1 Key Concepts10.6.2 Key Definitions
10.7 Exercises
11. File Input/Output
11.1 Introduction
11.2 File Access: Reading and Writing
11.2.1 File Reader Class11.2.2 FileWriter Class11.2.3 File Reader/Writer Example
11.3 Summary
11.3.1 Key Concepts11.3.2 Key Definitions
11.4 Exercises
12. Putting It All Together: Tic-Tac-Toe
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Programming Approach
12.3 Tic-Tac-Toe
12.4 Tic-Tac-Toe Revised
12.5 Summary
12.6 Exercises
A. Recommended Additional Reading
A.1 OS Reading Material
A.2 Ruby Documentation
A.3 Algorithm and Complexity Reading Material
B. Installing Ruby
B.1 Windows
B.2 Linux
B.3 Mac OS X
C. Writing Code for Ruby
C.1 Windows
C.2 Linux
C.3 Mac OS X
C.4 General Information
D. Using irb
Colophon
Copyright

Overview

If you know basic high-school math, you can quickly learn and apply the core concepts of computer science with this concise, hands-on book. Led by a team of experts, you’ll quickly understand the difference between computer science and computer programming, and you’ll learn how algorithms help you solve computing problems.

Each chapter builds on material introduced earlier in the book, so you can master one core building block before moving on to the next. You’ll explore fundamental topics such as loops, arrays, objects, and classes, using the easy-to-learn Ruby programming language. Then you’ll put everything together in the last chapter by programming a simple game of tic-tac-toe.

Learn how to write algorithms to solve real-world problems
Understand the basics of computer architecture
Examine the basic tools of a programming language
Explore sequential, conditional, and loop programming structures
Understand how the array data structure organizes storage
Use searching techniques and comparison-based sorting algorithms
Learn about objects, including how to build your own
Discover how objects can be created from other objects
Manipulate files and use their data in your software

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