Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math - Softcover

Marji, Majed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593275439 ISBN 13: 9781593275433

Publisher: No Starch Press, 2014

Synopsis

Scratch is a fun, free, beginner-friendly programming environment where you connect blocks of code to build programs. While most famously used to introduce kids to programming, Scratch can make computer science approachable for people of any age. Rather than type countless lines of code in a cryptic programming language, why not use colorful command blocks and cartoon sprites to create powerful scripts?

In Learn to Program with Scratch, author Majed Marji uses Scratch to explain the concepts essential to solving real-world programming problems. The labeled, color-coded blocks plainly show each logical step in a given script, and with a single click, you can even test any part of your script to check your logic. You'll learn how to:
–Harness the power of repeat loops and recursion
–Use if/else statements and logical operators to make decisions
–Store data in variables and lists to use later in your program
–Read, store, and manipulate user input
–Implement key computer science algorithms like a linear search and bubble sort

Hands-on projects will challenge you to create an Ohm's law simulator, draw intricate patterns, program sprites to mimic line-following robots, create arcade-style games, and more! Each chapter is packed with detailed explanations, annotated illustrations, guided examples, lots of color, and plenty of exercises to help the lessons stick. Learn to Program with Scratch is the perfect place to start your computer science journey, painlessly.

Uses Scratch 2

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Create colorful games!
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A Note to the Reader

The beauty of being a programmer is that you can *create*. Think about it: You come up with an idea and use your keyboard for a couple of hours, and a new software project comes to life! Like any new skill, however, programming takes practice. Along the way, you'll most likely make mistakes—but don't give up. Take time to reflect on the concepts and experiment with different techniques until you master them. And then move on to learn something new.

Whom This Book Is For

• This book is for anyone eager to explore computer science. It teaches the fundamentals of programming, and it can be used as a textbook for middle and high school students or as a self-study guide. The book can also be used at the college level to teach elementary programming concepts to students from different backgrounds or as a companion textbook that provides an introduction to such a course.
• Teachers who want to use Scratch in the classroom can also benefit from the deeper understanding of programming to be found in this book. You’ll develop the skills you need to engage students with Scratch in meaningful ways that are compatible with their needs.
• The book assumes no prior programming experience and, for the most part, no mathematics beyond what is taught in high school. Some of the advanced simulations can be skipped without causing any learning gap.

Build math and science simulators!
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About the Author

Majed Marji is a senior development engineer at General Motors and an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University in Michigan. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering from Wayne State University and an MBA in strategic management from Davenport University.

Edition details

• Publisher: No Starch Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1593275439
• ISBN 13: 9781593275433
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288