book

Problem Solving and Programming in C: A Computational Thinking Approach

Name: Problem Solving and Programming in C: A Computational Thinking Approach
Author: S.Sridhar
ISBN: 9789367130360

by S.Sridhar

January 2025

Intermediate to advanced

768 pages

17h 26m

English

Pearson India

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Cover
About Pearson
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Authors
Chapter 1: Introduction to C Programming
1.1 Basics of Programming Language1.2 C Programming Language1.3 Popularity of C1.4 Compiler and C1.5 Program Development1.6 Various Resources for C Programming
Chapter 2: Problem Solving and Computational Thinking
2.1 Introduction2.2 Software Development Life Cycle2.3 The Problem-Solving Process2.4 Computational Thinking2.5 Algorithmic Thinking2.5.1 Decomposition Process and Top-Down Approach2.5.2 Bottom-Up Approach2.6 Other Aspects of Computational Thinking2.6.1 Abstraction and Modelling2.6.2 Anticipating and Dealing with Errors2.6.3 Revisiting Solution2.7 Applications of Computational Thinking2.8 Flow Charts2.9 More Examples of Algorithms2.9.1 Algorithm for Finding the Largest Among Three Numbers2.9.2 Armstrong Number2.9.3 Collatz Sequence2.9.4 Towers of Hanoi2.9.5 Linear Search

Chapter 3: Elements of C
3.1 What is a Program?3.2 Elements of C Language3.3 Indentation and Comments in C3.4 Variables and Constants3.4.1 Declaration and Initialisation of a Variable3.4.2 Data Types3.5 Modifiers and Qualifiers3.5.1 Type Suffixes3.5.2 sizeof() Operator3.5.3 Qualifiers3.6 Assignment Statement3.7 Simple Input/Output Functions3.7.1 Formatted Functions3.7.2 Unformatted Functions
Chapter 4: Operators and Expressions
4.1 Basics of Operators4.2 Overview of Operators4.2.1 Arithmetic Operators4.2.2 Relational Operators4.2.3 Logical Operators4.2.4 Bitwise Operators4.2.5 Conditional Operator4.2.6 Comma Operator4.2.7 Assignment Operator4.2.8 Special Operators4.3 Expression and Its Types4.3.1 Arithmetic Expressions4.4 Type Conversion and Operator Precedence Rules4.4.1 Implicit (Type) Conversion4.4.2 Explicit Type Conversion (Type Casting)4.4.3 Operator Precedence4.4.4 Associativity in Arithmetic Expressions4.5 Relational Expressions4.6 Logical Expressions4.7 Conditional and Other Miscellaneous Expressions
Chapter 5: Conditional Statements
5.1 Need for Decision Structures5.2 Forming Conditions5.3 if Statement5.4 if-else Statement5.5 Nested if Statement5.6 Ternary Operator5.7 switch Statement
Chapter 6: Looping Statements
6.1 Introduction to Looping6.2 The while Statement6.3 The for Statement6.4 The do-while Statement6.5 Loop Control Statements6.5.1 break6.5.2 continue6.5.3 goto Statement
Chapter 7: Introduction to Functions
7.1 Introduction to Functions7.2 Anatomy of Functions7.3 Types of Functions7.4 Built-in Functions7.5 User-Defined Functions7.6 Parameterised Vs Non-Parameterised Functions7.7 void vs Non-void Functions7.8 Global vs static Functions7.9 Call by Value vs Call by Reference7.10 Inline Functions7.11 Variadic Functions7.12 Global Variables and Scope7.13 Storage Classes7.14 Case Study
Chapter 8: Arrays
8.1 Introduction to Arrays8.1.1 Basics of Arrays8.2 One-Dimensional (1D) Arrays8.2.1 Declaration and Initialisation of 1D Arrays8.2.2 Accessing 1D Arrays8.2.3 Applications of 1D Arrays8.3 Two-Dimensional (2D) Arrays8.3.1 Declaration and Initialisation of 2D Arrays8.3.2 Accessing 2D Arrays8.3.3 Applications of 2D Arrays8.4 Multidimensional Arrays8.5 Case Study – Arrays8.5.1 Binary Search8.5.2 Stacks
Chapter 9: Strings
9.1 Introduction9.2 Introduction to Characters9.2.1 Character Functions9.2.2 Character Arithmetic9.3 Introduction to Strings9.3.1 String Input and Output9.3.2 Strings in Multidimensional Arrays9.3.3 String Functions9.3.4 Advanced Strings9.4 Regular Expressions
Chapter 10: Pointers
10.1 Introduction to Pointers10.1.1 Address of Operator10.1.2 Pointer Declaration and Initialisation10.2 Types of Pointers10.2.1 Wild Pointers10.2.2 Void Pointers10.2.3 Null Pointers10.2.4 Constants and Pointers10.3 Functions and Pointers10.3.1 Call By Reference10.3.2 Function Pointers10.4 Pointers and Arrays10.4.1 Subscripting of Pointers10.4.2 Pointer Arithmetic10.4.3 Multi-Dimensional Arrays and Pointers10.4.4 Strings and Pointers10.4.5 Array of Pointers10.5 Double Pointers10.6 Triple Pointers10.7 Case Study – Queue
Chapter 11: Advanced Pointers
11.1 Introduction11.2 Pointer Compatibility11.3 Pointer Casting11.4 Pointer Aliasing11.5 Ragged Arrays11.6 Function Pointers in Detail11.6.1 Dynamically Calling Function Pointers11.6.2 Array of Function Pointers11.7 Memory Management11.7.1 Dynamic Memory Allocation11.7.2 Memory Leaks and Dangling Pointers11.7.3 Memory Functions11.8 Case Study: Circular Linked List
Chapter 12: Structures and Unions
12.1 Introduction to Structures12.1.1 Declaration of Structures12.1.2 Structure Variables – Access and Operations12.1.3 Nested Structures12.1.4 Structure as a Datatype12.2 Array of Structures12.3 Structures and Pointers12.4 Structures and Functions12.5 Self-Referential Structures12.6 Introduction to Unions12.6.1 Declaration of Unions12.7 Structures vs Unions12.8 Enumerated Types12.9 Bit-Fields12.10 Case Study: Linked List
Chapter 13: Advanced Functions
13.1 Recursive Functions13.2 Nested Functions13.3 Function Attributes13.4 Function Pointers as Higher-Order Functions13.5 Command-Line Arguments13.6 Case Study – Quick Sort
Chapter 14: Files
14.1 Introduction to Files14.2 File Streams and File Pointers14.3 Opening and Closing a File14.3.1 File Access and File Modes14.4 Reading and Writing to a Data File14.4.1 Updating a Data File14.5 Binary Files14.6 Other File Functions14.7 Low-Level I/O Functions14.8 Merging Files14.9 Converting Text to Binary File
Chapter 15: Exploring Standard Libraries
15.1 Introduction to Libraries15.2 Frequently Used Libraries15.2.1 <stdio.h> Library15.2.2 <string.h> Library15.2.3 <stdlib.h> Library15.3 Essential Data Handling15.3.1 <stddef.h> Library15.3.2 <stdint.h> Library15.3.3 <limits.h> Library15.4 Mathematical Operations15.4.1 <math.h> Library15.4.2 <float.h> Library15.4.3 <tgmath.h> Library15.4.4 <complex.h> Library15.5 Strings and Characters15.5.1 <ctype.h> Library15.6 Advanced Input and Output15.6.1 <stdarg.h> Library15.6.2 <conio.h> Library15.7 Date and Time15.7.1 <time.h> Library15.8 Standard Library and Standards15.9 Runtime Libraries Overview
Chapter 16: Preprocessor Directives
16.1 Basics of Preprocessor Directives16.2 Types of Preprocessor Directives16.3 Macros and Preprocessor Directives16.3.1 Macros without an Argument16.3.2 Macros with an Argument16.3.3 Preprocessor Operators16.4 #include Directive16.5 Conditional Compilation16.6 Debugging16.7 Miscellaneous Preprocessor Directives
Chapter 17: Linux and C Programming
17.1 Introduction to Linux17.2 Process Management17.3 Signals in C with Linux17.4 Multithreading in C with Linux17.5 Atomic Operations
Appendix A: Installing the C Programming Environment
Appendix B: Linux Tools for C Programming
Bibliography
Index
Credits
Copyright

Overview

The C language continues to shape the future of software development with its unmatched efficiency, portability, and low-level hardware interaction. Often hailed as the “mother of all programming languages,” C has profoundly influenced modern languages such as C++, Java, and C#. It remains a preferred choice for building operating systems, compilers, embedded systems, and device drivers—and for those taking their first steps in programming.

Problem Solving and Programming in C: A Computational Thinking Approach equips undergraduate and postgraduate students, educators, and aspiring programmers with a solid foundation in C programming and computational thinking. With its structured pedagogy and hands-on methodology, this textbook transform learning into an engaging, interactive experience.

Features –

📘 Explores core programming paradigms: top-down, bottom-up, recursion, and dynamic programming

🧠 Demystifies advanced concepts like pointers, dynamic memory, and function pointers with clarity

🧩 Integrates essential Linux development tools: compilers, debuggers, IDEs, profilers, and formatters

🔥 Case studies on data structures and real-world scenarios deepen practical understanding

🎯 Includes hands-on code examples, quick-reference cheat sheets, and revision aids

📘 Engaging learning enhancements: brain teasers, tips, points to ponder, and caution notes

🧩 Reinforces concepts through innovative tools: crosswords, jumbled words, and programming cartoons

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