Java Methods: Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures

Maria Litvin; Gary Litvin

ISBN 10: 0982477562 ISBN 13: 9780982477564

Publisher: Skylight Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

This is the third edition of the popular computer science textbook Java Methods. The book offers a thorough introduction to the concepts and practices of object-oriented programming in Java. It also introduces the most common data structures and related algorithms and their implementations in the Java collections framework.

Chapters 1-14 follow the syllabus of the AP Computer Science course. They will prepare you well for the AP CS exam. Chapters 15-18 on file input and output, graphics, graphical user interfaces, and events handling in Java will give you a better sense of real-world Java programming; this material also makes case studies, labs, and exercises more fun. Chapters 19-26 deal with more advanced data structures and algorithms. Chapter 27, Design Patterns, discusses more intricate aspects of object-oriented design and serves as an introduction to design patterns, and Chapter 28, Computing in Context, addresses the issues of creative, responsible, and ethical computer use.

The book follows four main threads: Java syntax and style, OOP concepts and techniques, algorithms, and Java libraries. As in the software engineering profession itself, these threads are interwoven into an inseparable braid.

Working through this book will not make you a Java expert right away, but it will bring you to the level of an entry-level Java programmer with a better than average understanding of the fundamental concepts.

About this title

About the Author

Maria Litvin has taught computer science and mathematics at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, since 1987. She is an Advanced Placement Computer Science exam reader and Table Leader and, as a consultant for The College Board, provides AP training for high school computer science teachers. Maria has received the 1999 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement for Mathematics, Science, and Technology for New England and the 2003 RadioShack National Teacher Award. Prior to joining Phillips Academy, Maria taught computer science at Boston University.

Maria is co author of C++ for You++: An Introduction to Programming and Computer Science (1998), which became one of the leading high school textbooks for AP Computer Science courses, and of the earlier editions of the Java Methods books. Maria is also the co-author of Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java (since 1999) and Mathematics for the Digital Age and Programming in Python (Skylight Publishing, 2010). Since 2014, as a Code.org "affiliate," Maria has trained dozens of New England elementary school teachers in teaching elements of computer science to children in grades K-5.

Gary Litvin has worked in many areas of software development including artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, computer graphics, and neural networks. As founder of Skylight Software, Inc., he developed SKYLIGHTS/GX, one of the first GUI prototyping and development tools for C and C++ programmers. Gary led in the development of several state-of-the-art software products including interactive touch screen development tools, OCR and handwritten character recognition systems, and credit card fraud detection software. He is the co-author of C++ for You++, the Java Methods series, Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java, and Mathematics for the Digital Age and Programming in Python.

Review

An Excellent Text!

I have been using this book (including its earlier version) for 12 years. It teaches the essential concepts in computer programming, and goes over and above what is needed for the APCS exam. It provides a course rather than a review. Much of the narrative is in the form of a conversation, which even my most talented programming students find engaging. The concepts are introduced in a logical and comprehensive manner, which builds on previous sections and provides lasting understanding. It is an extremely important text for students wanting to succeed on the APCS exam and further their studies in computer science. --Patricia M.Davies, amazon.com

This textbook was written specifically for AP Computer Science, and it contains everything a teacher will need to prepare students for the AP exam and beyond! The complete APCS A curriculum is covered in the first 14 chapters...

Most chapters include hands-on labs and case studies, and many come with an executable .jar file so students can see a functioning example of the final product. With the GUI supplied, students apply what they're learning in a given chapter, and they're rewarded with a working game or simulation. Starter code can be downloaded from the book's companion web site. Included in the downloaded student files are answers to some of the end-of-chapter exercises. I like the variety of exercises that are presented in this textbook: questions in a variety of formats, hands-on computer exercises, and problems to solve many significantly more challenging than they appear on the surface. --AP Central

This textbook was written specifically for AP Computer Science, and it contains everything a teacher will need to prepare students for the AP exam and beyond! The complete APCS A curriculum is covered in the first 14 chapters...

Most chapters include hands-on labs and case studies, and many come with an executable .jar file so students can see a functioning example of the final product. With the GUI supplied, students apply what they're learning in a given chapter, and they're rewarded with a working game or simulation. Starter code can be downloaded from the book's companion web site. Included in the downloaded student files are answers to some of the end-of-chapter exercises. I like the variety of exercises that are presented in this textbook: questions in a variety of formats, hands-on computer exercises, and problems to solve many significantly more challenging than they appear on the surface. --AP Central

Edition details

• Publisher: Skylight Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0982477562
• ISBN 13: 9780982477564
• Binding: Textbook Binding
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 696