This book aims to take beginner and intermediate programming hobbyists to the next level by challenging them with exciting bite-size projects rooted in actual scientific and engineering problems.
Each chapter introduces a set of simple techniques and shows a variety of situations where they can be applied. The main feature of the book is the choice of topics that are designed to be both entertaining and serious. Most of the projects strive to analyze or simulate something found in the real world, covering molecules and planets, plants and animals, bacteria and robots. Engaging in these excursions is a great way to hone coding skills while exploring diverse areas of human knowledge.
The variety of discussed subjects and creative project ideas make the book a perfect choice for aspiring coders thinking where to apply their growing skills.
1. A bit of Python 2. Motion and reflections 3. Gravity and rotation 4. Stochastic processes 5. Living things 6. Grid worlds 7. States and transitions
Biography
Maxim Mozgovoy is a senior associate professor at the University of Aizu, Japan. He received his PhD degree in Applied Mathematics from St. Petersburg State University, and his PhD in Computer Science from University of Joensuu. His main research interests are focused on educational technologies, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence for games and interactive environments. His current goal is to apply machine learning technologies to the task of creating practical game AI systems. Maxim has a record of around 100 published papers and industrial-level software development experience. He is a co-founder of Helium9 Games studio, a regular reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Games and Entertainment Computing, and a program committee member of IEEE Conference on Games, Game-On, and other international conferences.
"This is an excellent book for readers who want to deepen their programming skills. It uses a low-threshold, no-ceiling approach to programming, offering the reader a plethora of practical projects that spark curiosity and demonstrate the versatile contexts of application where refined programming abilities can be applied."
-Calkin Suero Montero, Associate Professor, Uppsala University
"This book provides an enjoyable and thought-provoking way to build up your coding skills and explore simple yet fun virtual worlds. Packed with great content, it has something to offer to the reader of any level."
-Iskander Umarov, Game Director, Helium9 Games
