Introduction to Computing: Explorations in Language, Logic, and Machines

Computer science studies how to describe, predict properties of, and efficiently implement information processes. This book introduces the most important ideas in computing using the Scheme and Python programming languages. It focuses on how to describe information processes by defining procedures, how to analyze the costs required to carry out a procedure, and the fundamental limits of what can and cannot be computed mechanically.

David Evans is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia where he leads research in computer security and privacy. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with his wife and daughter. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and an All-University Teaching Award. His Udacity cs101 course was the first course to launch on Udacity and has been described as one of the world's most popular MOOCs. He has SB, SM and PhD degrees in Computer Science from MIT. According to Prospect Magazine, "Evans is the kind of nerdy savant whose gap-tooth smile and Monty Python humor attract a cult following on campus."