This book introduces the key concepts of Java programming through the eyes of a small ladybug called Clara. Clara is a fun and extremely obedient insect, whose journey starts with limited skills. Readers learn programming by making Clara move around and manipulate objects in her world. As the book progresses, Clara becomes more intelligent and acquires new skills and (together with readers) learns by tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges.
The book explains programming concepts through real-world problems such as launching rockets into space, automatically patching potholes, developing a vacuum cleaner robot, simulating projectile motion, dynamically avoiding obstacles, delivering mail, etc. Every chapter of the book starts by presenting a challenge and then continues to explain new programming concepts with the focus on tackling this challenge. Focusing the new material explanation on these challenges helps to remind the readers of how this material is connected with the problems that they may encounter in the real world and makes it easier to relate to.
You can explore all programming challenges presented in this book on the Clara’s World website. Every programming problem covered in the book has a corresponding link to a problem template (for those readers willing to attempt the problem themselves), the link to the solution of this problem and a video recording of us solving this problem step-by-step. In addition, at the end of each chapter there is a link to fun exercises that readers are recommended to complete.
Anton Bogdanovych is a senior lecturer of entertainment computing and applied artificial intelligence at Western Sydney University, Australia, and currently teaches “Video Game Development” and “Programming Fundamentals”. Anton’s innovative approach to teaching programming fundamentals (that laid the foundations of this book) has been recognized on a national and international level, and he has been awarded the ICT Higher Education Educator of the Year 2015 by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and received the International ICT Educator of the Year 2016 Award by The South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC).
Tomas Trescak has worked as a senior lecturer of intelligent systems at Western Sydney University for the past seven years. Since 2020, Tomas has acted as a director of the academic program for undergraduate studies in information and communication technology (ICT). Tomas is the creator of the Clara’s World framework that is utilized in this book. For his academic and software development work, Tomas has received multiple awards, among which are the 2016 Best Innovator Award by Unearthed Association and 2015 Gold Disruptor Award in the Best Australian ICT Educator category by the Australian Computer Society.
